[arg_discuss] ARG Accessibility?

[Brooke Thompson]

I've worked on campaigns where accessibility was a concern, but in  
both instances, the games were designed to be played individually (and  
both were contests of sorts, which comes with a need/desire for  
fairness). Most ARGs are designed to be played in a community which  
lets designers off the hook a bit. Fortunately, it's not uncommon for  
portions of an ARG to be inaccessible to a segment of the audience  
without help so when something is inaccessible due to disability it  
tends to be less of an issue.

For example, in one game we released a virus. Only the computer savvy  
were able to download it and read through the code to see what it did.  
They spent hours reading through the code and explaining exactly what  
was going on and informed the player-base. The person that most  
accurately figured out what was happening, what it symbolized, and how  
it fit into the larger story was not one of those computer savvy  
programmer types -- she was far enough removed from the tedium of the  
code and the logical thinking that coding requires to put it together  
and explain it to the programmer types. It was all rather poetic.

That's a rather extreme example, but in many games there are story and  
puzzle clues hidden in a way that requires special knowledge or access  
to certain software or equipment. So when something is inaccessible  
due to disability, while that's not great, there's a community of  
folks ready and willing to help out - whether that's just explaining  
what's going on or making it so it is accessible.

I will say that I think this leads to a more than relaxed concern  
about general accessibility with the websites - even on large games  
for big clients. Which isn't all that surprising to me than it is - I  
think the web, in general, suffers from accessibility. And when sites  
are built quickly on a tight budget (as they often are with ARGs),  
accessibility is just not considered as much as it should be.

Brooke Thompson
Experience Design
www.giantmice.com

mobile: 321.277.7613
skype: brooke.thompson
email: brooke at giantmice.com

On Aug 22, 2011, at 12:28 PM, Sheri Rubin wrote:


> Hi All,

>

> On the Game Accessibility SIG someone just posted:

>

> Augmented Reality Gaming for the blind just came a little bit easier:

> http://grathio.com/2011/08/meet-the-tacit-project-its-sonar-for-the-blind/

>

> Now hold your horses, I know that says AUGMENTED, not Alternate. :)

>

> What that did make me wonder was do you guys worry at all about  

> accessibility or have to make arrangements for say deaf or blind  

> players who may not be able to get the same experience as everyone  

> else? Or when doing visuals keep in mind red-green color blindness?  

> Or do you just design for the lowest common denominator and go from  

> there?

>

> Curious in Chicago,

> Sheri

>

> -- 

> *Sheri Rubin*

> Founder and CEO

>

> *Design Direct Deliver*

> Website: http://www.designdirectdeliver.com

> Email: sheri at designdirectdeliver.com <mailto:sheri at designdirectdeliver.com 

> >

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