Accessible Gaming: My Gaming Future In The Making

7 Dec, 2010

My foray into the gaming world began in the late 1980s.

From the cassette tape decks of the Commodore 64 and the Amstrad CPC464, to the cartridges of the NES and Sega MegaDrive, gaming was a pursuit undertaken largely whilst sat on your backside and by literally doing little more than twiddling your thumbs. For a kid like me, video games leveled the playing field.

Having been born with significant physical disabilities, the vast majority of sports and playground games were simply out of my reach whilst growing up. Ever tried rope skipping, football training, cross-country running or good, old-fashioned “Kiss Chase” whilst ambling about on crutches? I have; it never failed to end in tears. Video games provided me with an opportunity not to just join in with my peers, but to play with them as an equal. After all, I didn’t need to worry about how cumbersome my clumpy boots and heavily strapped and splinted legs were, or how I couldn’t run; I was too busy busting “special moves” as Sub-Zero whilst thrashing the neighbourhood kids at a round of Mortal Kombat.

Fast-forward twenty years and Ye Gods, how things have changed. With the birth of wireless controllers and motion detection devices and the prevalence of the likes of Nintendo’s Wii and more recently, the Kinect system for the Xbox 360, playing video games is suddenly a more physically demanding pastime. But, I still can’t run. In fact, as a full-time wheelchair user from the age of 13, even standing is now out of the question, which leaves shaking my funky stuff to the latest in Dance Game titles decidedly not my strong suit.

So where does that leave me and more importantly, the next generation of children with Disabilities?

It seems that I’m not the only one asking this question. Eelke Folmer and Tony Morelli have been developing technology to make existing Kinect games accessible to the visually impaired, whilst One Switch and Special Effects develop alternative hardware and peripheral solutions to your standard console controls.

The video below uses a technique called Real Time Sensory Substitution to enable a blind (or blindfolded) gamer to accurately jump hurdles whilst playing Kinect Sport. Video analysis takes the place of the gamer’s eyes and translates the onscreen visual cues into tactile feedback. So now, the gamer is cued when to jump not by visual stimuli, but by vibrations in handheld controls. Groundbreaking stuff.

For a more detailed look into the world of accessible gaming and the work of UK charity, Special Effects, I recommend taking a few moments to watch this video. Not only are the examples of alternative hardware interesting, but the dexterity of the guy who plays FIFA Soccer with his teeth and tongue is nothing short of remarkable.