Presented at Michigan Council for Exceptional Children Conference 3/3/2016. Tony Morelli and Kevin Andrews

1. Accessibility In Games
Tony Morelli & Kevin Andrews
Central Michigan University

2. Why Make Accessible Games?
• Broadens Opportunities for
– Participation
– Socialization
– Physical Activity

3. Why are most games not accessible
• It is difficult
• Cost
• Market is too small
• No legal reason

4. It’s Difficult
• I’ve been making accessible games since 1998
• It’s not that hard
• It is challenging to make everything fit
everyone
• Most Operating Systems have some built in
accessibility features that make it easier

5. Cost
• Yes it is expensive to take an existing game
and add accessibility components
• It is much easier to think about accessibility
during initial development
• Putting in accessibility components during
development saves time!

6. Market is Too Small
• 19% of the population had a disability in 2010
(US Census)
• The percentage that would actually gain
something from accessibility features, and
result in a paying customer is believed to be
much lower (< 1%)

7. Legal Reason?
• Communications and Video Accessibility Act
of 2010 (CVAA)
• Communications and Video Content must be
accessible to people who are deaf and/or
blind.

8. CVAA
• Do Video Games fit into this?
• Video Games Contain Video
• Video Games Contain Communications
– Text messages (chats)
– Voice chats

9. ESA
• Entertainment Software Association
– Has been fighting Video Games inclusion under
the CVAA
– The CVAA was enacted in 2010 – Where are we in
2016?
– Games were classified into 3 Categories

10. CVAA – Games - Categories
• 1 – The operating system
– Menus and navigation throughout the base
system
– Playstation 4 and Xbox One contain voice overs
– Wii U has none
– Most do not support voice overs for built in
applications (which is required)

11. CVAA – Games - Categories
• 2 – Network Functions
– Playstation 4 has a very good web browser with
voice over support
– Xbox one does not
– Wii U does not
• As of September 2015, all video game systems
must be compliant with Class 1 & 2
– They are not compliant

12. CVAA – Games - Categories
• 3- Games
– These have been given a deferred implementation
date
– In January 2017, games must be accessible.

13. RSGames.org
• http://rsgames.org

14. OA - Games
• We have taken things a step further
• We want games to be playable by everyone
• We want THE SAME games to be playable by
everyone
• We have a couple games that are ready to go
– Playable by people who are deaf, blind, motor
impairments
– Variable speeds for people with cognitive
disabilities.

15. OA Games
• OA Dash

16. OA Games
• OA Dance

17. OA Games
• OA Dance and OA Dash are available now
• http://www.oagames.org
• Free!
• Coming Soon:
• OA Tennis

18. Virtual Reality
• Next generation of accessibility
• We can simulate environments
• VR for someone who is blind?
– Isn’t VR just a visual replacement?

19. Virtual Reality
• VR is a world replacement
– Visuals
– Sounds
– Head tracking

20. V2FR
• Lots more info on this one at CEC in St Louis
• Can Students in Special Education use Virtual
Reality?
• YES!

21. V2FR

22. V2FR

23. V2FR

24. Virtual Reality
• Sonic Walker
• Simulates what it is like to navigate a city if
you are blind.
• 3D sounds
• Listen for cars and traffic signals

25. Virtual Reality
• Head tracking can determine where a person
is looking
• Audio cues can be dynamic based on where
the player is looking
• Black Jack game
– Look at the other players to see/hear what their
cards are.

26. Questions/Demo
• Have fun!
tony,.morelli@cmich.edu
andre3kj@cmich.edu