Adaptive games an equalizer for disabled
Developers tap underserved markets with more accessible video games
“People are relating to you in the context of the game; you are no longer disabled in that environment. You have the ability to improve your self-confidence because you are skilled at something that others value.”
Dr. Pamela Rutledge
Director of the media psychology research center in Newport Beach, California
Gaming has been a huge part of Erin Hawley’s life since she started playing Atari as a little girl.
When the Keyport, New Jerseybased, 35-year-old digital content producer for the Easterseals charity gets off work, she gets right on her computer or Xbox and often keeps going until it’s time for bed.
Hawley is a fan of shooter titles such as “Overwatch” and “Half-Life,” but she’ll play adventure games, puzzles, almost anything. She also is a regular on the Amazon-owned Twitch live streaming platform.
Gaming is how Hawley typically relaxes, interacts with friends and takes her mind off things.
And it provides a social outlet for other purposes: Hawley has muscular dystrophy, anxiety and scoliosis, and she is an advocate for the disabled.
She created a blog called The Geeky Gimp. Through her work with Easterseals, Hawley has helped foster communities of young women with disabilities called Thrive, where she facilities discussions around gaming, technology and living life with a disability.
“Putting myself out there like that is an act of self-love,” Hawley explains.
She met her partner of nearly four years after the person recognized her in a Twitter chat about tabletop gaming.
“Video gaming as a way to make connections can be useful, especially when people have no other way to connect,” says Pittsburgh psychologist Dr. Nancy Mramor.
That potentially includes at least 46 million gamers in the U.S. alone, according to researchers at the Able-Gamers charity, a non-profit that attempts “to wield the power of gaming to break down the barriers of economic and social isolation for children, adults and veterans with disabilities.”
If anything, that’s a low-ball estimate, since the number doesn’t factor in folks with dexterity, strength or tremor related disabilities, neuro-diverse challenges, or even people whose motor or other skills are in decline as they age.
As a rule, disabled people are no less fanatical about playing video games than people without physical or cognitive challenges. And, unsurprisingly just like those who aren’t disabled, their skill levels also vary.
Making video games more accessible
The challenges faced by disabled gamers often mean that certain accessibility accommodations be made.
Hawley is among those who rely on the $99.99 Xbox Adaptive Controller from Microsoft, which lets gamers customize the controller to exactly what they need in order to play in a way that is most comfortable to them. For example, the controller can be placed on the floor to allow gamers to use buttons with their feet. It can also be mounted onto wheelchairs or tables.
Microsoft partnered with Able-Gamers, The Cerebral Palsy Foundation, Special-Effect, Warfighter Engaged and Craig Hospital in developing the controller. Just last month, Microsoft and the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a collaboration to provide the controller and other gaming technology (hardware, services, games) to 22 VA rehab centers across the country.
Bryce Johnson, who spearheaded the creation of the controller at Microsoft said, “While we do want to make sure that we’re empowering people with disabilities to play video games, we also need to recognize that we’re not providing an unworthy competitive advantage to someone who might not have a disability.”
Game developers also must confront this balancing act. For example, the designers of the Celeste video game for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Steam (PC and Mac) from developer Matt Makes Games – the goal is to have a character survive inner demons and hardcore challenges to scale Celeste Mountain – added an Assist Mode option that lets someone play at their own pace and difficulty level.
After receiving feedback, CEO Chandana Ekanayake of Outerloop Games changed the shapes and intensity of colors inside his company’s Falcon Age first-person action adventure game for PlayStation4 and PlayStation VR to make it simpler for people who are colorblind. He also made sure the PlayStation controller could be remapped to support certain features of the game to accommodate people with special needs. Large text in the game makes it easier for people who may be hard of hearing or deaf. “There’s a spectrum of our fans, and we want to support them,” Ekanayake says.
In general, though, more needs to be done, advocates say.
The companies that are slowly but surely paying more attention to accessibility are driven by a confluence of factors. Yes, some want to be more inclusive and do the right thing. But there are also market imperatives.
“I never told a game company a sad story,” says Mark Barlet, the disabled vet who founded AbleGamers back in 2004. Instead, he says he told them “that people with disabilities have a trillion dollars in expendable income,” and that “there is money being left on the table” if you ignore them.
The message is getting across. “The industry in the last three years is 180 degrees from where it was before,” Barlet says. “I am talking to every triple-A studio out there right now. I will say that accessibility isn’t a dirty word anymore, and it was at one point.”
This past October, AbleGamers launched a “user-driven” model for developing accessible games called the Accessible Player Experience or APX.
Don’t water down the game
What APX is not meant to provide is a version of a game that waters down the experience. Disabled gamers or those with accessibility needs typically want to play the same games everybody else plays.
The developers of “Shadow’s Edge” have taken a different approach. Their free self-help mobile game for iOS and Android, a recent Edison Awards winner, is aimed at teens and young adults with serious illnesses. Sheri Brisson, who survived brain cancer when she was younger, and the co-author of “Digging Deep: A Journal for Young People Facing Health Challenges,” on which “Shadow’s Edge” is based, says “the goal is to take kids through an emotional healing process.”
“People are relating to you in the context of the game; you are no longer disabled in that environment,” says Dr. Pamela Rutledge, director of the media psychology research center in Newport Beach, California. “You have the ability to improve your self-confidence because you are skilled at something that others value.”