[arg_discuss] ARG Accessibility?

[Sheri Rubin]

Brooke,

Thank you for a very thoughtful response. This helps a lot.

If you guys had a checklist, even for websites, of basic accessibility 
things to keep in mind would it be useful?

Sheri

On 8/22/2011 2:47 PM, Brooke Thompson wrote:

> 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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-- 
*Sheri Rubin*
Founder and CEO

*Design Direct Deliver*
Website: http://www.designdirectdeliver.com
Email: sheri at designdirectdeliver.com <mailto:sheri at designdirectdeliver.com>