Video-Games for People with Disabilities

At EmpowerTech, we teach people with many different disabilities how to use technology, including computers. One may ask, how does someone that is blind or with low-vision use a computer without being able to see the screen? Using technology such as JAWS, a computer software with a speech synthesizer, students are able to use the computer to do numerous tasks such as use Microsoft Word or send an email, without needing to see the screen. Tasks such as accessing the web without using the screen may seem daunting to us, but our students make it look easy with their unwavering determination. Another question that may arise is "how does someone that has a disability use entertainment like video-games?" This blog post will address how people with different types of disabilities can use video-games.

Blind Gamers:

To some, entertainment like video-games are considered a necessity. Without accessibility, blind gamers may play 2-dimensional games, like Street Fighter, and memorize how long it takes to get their character from one side of the screen or what it sounds like to use a "spinning flying kick." But, today's 3D technology and games are difficult for a blind gamer to use with those techniques. Because of this, Munawar Bijani, an avid video-gamer, developed the world’s first combat flight simulator for the blind. Bijani, a blind gamer, created the game now called “Three-D Velocity” to take entertainment for the blind to the next level. The game is now regarded as one of the best “audio games” on the market today and has been downloaded over 11,000 times.

Color Blind Gamers: 

Although not every gaming company can create fully accessible audio versions of their games for the blind, companies can create versions of their games that are accessible for color blind users. Sometimes, colorful video games are difficult for color blind gamers to use. Statistics show that 1 in 12 men and 1 in 250 women have a form of color blindness, making the disability widespread enough for gaming companies to consider inclusive gaming. James Herndon offers inclusive tips from Equal Entry:

"1.   Make sure that the colors you use do not convey important information. 

2.   Exaggerate the difference between foreground and background colors. 

3.   Don’t use colors with a similar lightness, no matter how much they differ in saturation. 

4.   Lighten the lighter colors and darken the darker ones."

Gamers with Other Disabilities:

Those strategies will work to make accessible games for color blind users, but what about people with other disabilities? The not-for-profit organization, AbleGamers, works to ensure the inclusion of gamers with all disabilities. This year, AbleGamers honored FIFA 13 with the Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year Award. The prize was given for the PC version of the game, for being “the first high-end mainstream sports game to allow users to control the entire game with only a mouse.” AbleGamers cited that FIFA 13 is a valid product for one-handed gamers or those with muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, and multiple sclerosis. Organizations such as AbleGamers and EmpowerTech show that having a disability does not necessarily mean not accessing technology such as computers or video-games. For more information on the articles used in this blog post, please see below.

Resources:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/12/16/videogames-for-the-blind.html

http://www.bpcprograms.com/games/three-d-velocity 

http://g3ict.org/resource_center/newsletter/news/p/id_398

http://www.policymic.com/articles/21924/fifa-13-awarded-most-accessible-game-for-disabled-gamers