For far too long, the developers and manufacturers of games have assumed that people with disabilities can’t play games and therefore have no interest in video games. Well, I say to those developers, you know what happens when you assume?
But that is starting to change. At this year’s, Game Developers Conference, also called GDC 2017, held at the Moscone Conference Center in Sanfrancisco California from February 27 to March 3, there will be several presentations on accessibility and gaming. I will provide the list below.
Monday Feb 27th, Mission Bay Conference Centre
#GAConf
( not part of GDC )
A day of talks and networking exploring accessibility for gamers with disabilities, with evening social
Tuesday Feb 28th, Mission Bay Conference Centre
#gamesUR
( not part of GDC )
User research conference, includes a session on designing for low vision, and accessibility Q&A
Tuesday Feb 28th, 1.20pm – 1.50pm, North Hall room 135
Sources of Inspiration for Approaching Accessibility in VR
Hannah Gillis & Ben Peck, Lucasfilm ILMxLAB
Novel challenges for accessibility in VR are discussed, using the demonstration of ‘Trials on Tatooine’
Wednesday Mar 1st, 9.30am – 10.30am, West Hall room 3020
‘Evolve’: An Adventure in Accessibility Retro-Fitting
Tara Voelker, Gaikai
The challenges encountered through retrofitting, and how considering accessibility made ‘Evolve Stage 2’ better for all players.
Wednesday Mar 1st, 12.00pm – 12.30pm, West Hall room 3020
Improving Games Accessibility In Children’s Games Through QA
Hannah Bunce, BBC
Practicalities, pros and cons of embedding in QA teams, and how it fits into the wider pipeline
Wednesday Mar 1st, 3.30pm – 4.30pm, North Hall room 111
IGDA GA-SIG Roundtable
Ian Hamilton, independent
Discussion of the SIG’s progress over the past year and what actions to take for the next, focussing on education
Wednesday Mar 1st, 5.00pm – 6.00pm, West Hall room 3020
Raising the Bar: 2016′s Accessibility Advancements
Ian Hamilton, independent
Highlights of why 2016 was the best year yet for accessibility in game development
Thursday, 12.45pm – 1.45pm, West Hall room 2009
Reaching More Gamers Through Xbox Accessibility Features on Xbox One and PC
Evelyn Thomas, Xbox
See demonstrations of platform level accessibility functionality and learn how to use accessibility APIs
Thursday, 2.00pm – 2.30pm, West Hall Room 3020
Game Accessibility: Practical Visual Fixes from EA’s ‘Madden NFL’ Franchise
Karen Stevens, EA Sports
Covers several of the visual accessibility settings in Madden NFL 17; big wins on a small budget
Source.
