kestrell | Entries tagged with accessible games

An
article by Guide Dev
https://hearthstoneaccess.github.io/under-the-hood-patch-day.html
explaining the process of making
Hearthstone Access
https://hearthstoneaccess.github.io/
accessible.

On Monday I begin the web tester training program through the Carroll Center but, fortunately, almost all of the Ace-Con panels will be recorded. Here are some of my picks:

Tues
9 a.m.
Keynote
The Future of the Web and Accessibility
Sir Tim Berners-Lee

Tuesday March 15 at 11:00am US/Eastern
Collaboration Works! 25 years of Structured Negotiation as a strategy to enhance digital accessibility
Lainey Feingold

Tuesday March 15 at 3:00pm US/Eastern
Screen Readers and Beyond: A Guide to Assistive Technology for Digital Access

Tuesday March 15 at 4:00pm US/Eastern
Beyond Alt… Inclusive-first pixels

Details
Come look at how you can customize images at the pixel level and provide a personalized experience for all visual needs. This demo will show you something you’ve never seen before; an inclusive-first approach to creating digital images.
Charles Duncan Technical Project Manager, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts
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XR Accessibility: Can we do that?
Deb Mayers
Thursday March 17 at 4:00pm US/Eastern

Kes: I'm currently looking through some old directories in order to put together a resume on previous projects I have worked on, and I came across this old LJ post, and even I am thought, WTF?? That is one crazy idea, Kes! But also: I think we have the technology (exccept for flash, I think we vanquished that evil(...So here is the rest of the post.

This evening I will be attending an event at MIT titled
" It's a Small World: How Virtual Communities Are Changing the Ways We Relate"
(6-8:30 p.m. at the MIT Campus Broad Institute NE 30, corner of Main Street and Ames Street).

The registration Web site mentioned homework, so, as one of the discussion topics will be "What Kind of World Would You Make: Second Life as Thought Experiment," I decided to do the Hermione thing and plan my corner of the virtual world.

*The Jorge Luis Borges Book Center and Dog Park*
with explanations about accessibility and how a visually-impaired user accesses a visual interface

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Kes: Ah, yes, I, too, have heard the "You're not *really* blind" response of the sighted, and yet no one ever takes me up on my offer to pop out my eyeballs: sore losers *and* weak stomachs *shakes head sadly*
https://news.yahoo.com/blind-video-game-champion-takes-064651292.html

I was reading the BoingBoing holiday guide, and fell in love with this game
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/7/cathedral

Basically, it is a wooden board with a bunh of differently-shaped wooden blocks, and you play it like Go, with two players taking turns putting down white and black pieces and attempting to occupy as much of the board as possible.

My game geek housemate, who is also old-school SCA, said it is actually from the 1970s.

I love it because it is all wood, and the pieces fit together like a Japanese puzzle box. I figure that, even if I can't make it accessible, which actually seems like an easy thing to do, I will still enjoy using it like a medieval puzzle box.

My first idea for making it accessible is to mark one of the sets of colored blocks with a tactile dot to distinguish the black pieces from the white. The pieces all have a bottom and top side, so marking the top should be relatively simple.

I've also ordered a tactile tactices graph from 64 Oz. Games, which I mentioned recently in a post. I figure I will lay it on top of the board to mark the squares.

Kes: Most of these items require some sighted assistance, but assembly or sorting could be done ahead of time and then included in time for gift-giving. For example, with the Lego kits, Legos could be sorted into separate bags and the instructions could be downloaded onto a thumb drive and included with the kit. Also note that Bard/NLS has a number of D&D books available as downloadable digital audiobooks.

64 Oz Games
https://64ozgames.com/
makes accessibility kits to make board games accessible, along with braille puzzles, braille dice, tactile tactic grids, and more. They also sell a braille Rider Tarot Accessibility kit (not sure if these are adhesive-backed or if they are sleeves that fit over the cards).

Legos for the Blind
Downloadable text-based instructions for 30 Lego sets, still requires sighted person to sort the Legos
http://legofortheblind.com/instructions/

A List of Alexa Voice Commands from Business Insider
https://www.businessinsider.com/alexa-voice-commands

What is Chromium? Google's Open-Source Software, Explained from Business Insider
https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-chromium

NVDA news, including NVDACon Dec. 4-6 + Using object navigation in Windows settings
https://www.nvaccess.org/post/in-process-20th-november-2020/

Music Service Launched for Visually Impaired Children with Neurodegenerative Disease
On November 16th 2020 the Amber Trust and the ISM Trust launched "With Music in Mind," a new music service aimed at transforming music provision for children and young people with neurodegenerative disease who are visually impaired:
https://www.rhinegold.co.uk/music_teacher/music-service-launched-for-visually-impaired-children-with-neurodegenerative-disease/

Kes: I haven't been spending a lot of time following game accessibility this year, but 'tis the season for games (okay, 'tis the year for games). Also, Steve Saylor is a funny guy with a lot of smart things to say about accessibility, including the fact that
there are 33 million disabled gamers in America alone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM8iNa87-Po&feature=youtu.be

Steve Saylor's Blind Gamers Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtWREyqj2spI0KiWHp09Fvg
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Jedi Glove Assists Visually Impaired with Sonar
https://interestingengineering.com/nui-galways-jediglove-assists-visually-impaired-with-sonar

Meet the blindness consultant ensuring Apple TV Plus show See respects accessibility
Joe Strechay has a unique role in entertainment: blindness consultant for Apple's new series, "See," starring Jason Momoa
https://www.cnet.com/news/meet-the-blindness-consultant-ensuring-apple-tv-plus-show-see-respects-accessibility/

iPhone 12 Pro's People Perception features lets blind users detect people around them
https://www.cnet.com/news/iphone-12-pro-lets-people-who-are-blind-see-others-around-them/
Lidar is a type of depth sensor
https://blog.halide.cam/lidar-peek-into-the-future-with-ipad-pro-11d38910e9f8
that helps with augmented reality apps and serves as the eyes of self-driving cars. Now, Apple is applying it to accessibility in an effort to help people who have vision problems better navigate the world around them.

Inclusive Design for Social Media: Tips for Creating Accessible Channels
At least one billion people, or 15% of the world's population, experience some form of disability. That figure increases significantly when it accounts for temporary and situational disabilities.
Non-inclusive content and experiences push people away. And it's not always easy to pinpoint when that happens.
Excluded web visitors often don't complain:
71% just leave.
Marketers should view staying informed about these updates as a responsibility. While social media accessibility isn't technically required under WCAG's 2.1 compliance standards, it shouldn't need to be. Here's why:
https://blog.hootsuite.com/inclusive-design-social-media/

Indoor Mapping on Tek Talk
Hear about emerging indoor mapping technology on Tek Talk on
GMT Tuesday, November 10th 2020 at 01:00
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/839935813?pwd=eXFMRHpxNnhFZlRiMHAzRWNWYXM3Zz09

iBug will feature Voice Dream Reader and Files App on the next 2-hour iBUG Cafe
to take place on GMT Sunday, November 8th 2020 at 22:00
https://zoom.us/j/7428486329?pwd=M003RmZaa3pTbWRlZ00xbSs4YTlmUT09

Wired: Gamers Forge Their Own Paths When It Comes to Accessibility
WHEN MARK BARLET realized there weren’t many gaming resources available for a friend with multiple sclerosis, he and Steven Spohn helmed a solution that would change countless lives. They created AbleGamers and turned a personal mission into a global vision of video game accessibility for all.
https://www.wired.com/story/accessibility-video-games-ablegamers/

Kes: Take a look around this next resource: it also has upcoming Zoom meetings on other accessible tech, along with archived previous shows
Accessible Gifts for the Holidays - Saturday, November 14
How to add smart devices to your Alexa device or Google Nest - Saturday, December 12
https://www.marylandlibraries.org/Pages/Technology%20User%20Group.aspx

These links have been selected from the Top Tech Tidbits weekly newsletter: you can read the entire newsletter and/or subscribe at
https://www.toptechtidbits.com/

Kes: This talking book library list is how I found out about the accessible web development course I'm taking: learn how to subscribe to the library's announcement list at the end of the post.

Accessible Gaming with Nefertiti, Antonio and Chancey
Thursday August 27, 6:00 to 7:30 PM Eastern
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0sd-morD4iHte-0zxmgqmINRNv7liUQ0hh

Did you know that gaming can help you exercise your strategy skills, reduce stress, and even make new friends? Whether you are just starting to explore the world of accessible gaming or you are the one up on all the latest offerings, join us to make recommendations, share your favorites, and swap tips.
We're using Zoom registration as a quicker way to predict group size and manage security. If you have difficulty registering, please email chanceyfleet@nypl.org or call (212) 206-5400, extension 3 for access.

About Heiskell Library Tech Programs
Anyone is welcome! Our remote tech and culture programs are an evolution of the in -person and hybrid workshops hosted at the Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library. Whether you're blind, sighted, or somewhere in between, in New York City or on the other side of the world, we welcome you for fellowship, learning and dialog.
so we know how many people to expect.

To join our technology and Braille team's event announcement list, just email heiskelltech+subscribe@googlegroups.com
- we'll let you know about all the other remote programming we offer.
To learn more about us or suggest a workshop, or to volunteer your time, contact our tech coordinator: chanceyfleet@nypl.org
To support open discussion and patron privacy, our workshops are never recorded.

American Printing House will be hosting a week of webinars focusing on Lego Braille Bricks and learning through play beginning Monday, August 17.
Learn more and register at
https://www.aph.org/lego-braille-bricks-week-webinars/

To learn about other APH webinars, go to
https://www.aph.org/athomewithaph-webinars/

Also note more webinars later this month, including one on using Google Docs
https://www.aph.org/athomewithaph-webinars/

Current Location: aerye

Earlier this year IKEA revealed online design hacks to make furniture more accessible
https://www.dezeen.com/2019/03/18/thisables-ikea-disabilities-furniture-design/
and now it has accounced a line of 3D-printed devices to make gaming more accessible to people with disabilities
https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/ikea-reveals-accessibility-gaming-accessories/

http://gamestudies.org/1803/articles/marcotte

I've mentioned over the past couple of months that I'm designing An Alexa adventure-style game that can be used as a virtual map for visually impaired people to explore the MIT campus before they physically arrive. I've been trying to find a way to create a demo, since I don't know code, and this looks as if it might allow me to do that. Aside from my personal reasons, blind people should have access to the same creative tools as sighted people.

Ebon Sky Studios, a blind game development team, has designed Sable, a tool which allows blind people to create their own games without having to know code.

The team is hoping to win the Holman Prize, which awards financial backing to blind innovators
If you want to support Ebon Sky and Sable, click the Like button on the Youtube video link below
Holman Prize: Sable, an Audiogame Development Tool
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbNOid8rejw

Here is the Ebon Sky Facebook page, which includes links to a series of videos demoing Sable
https://m.facebook.com/ebonskystudios/?ref=page_internal&mt_nav=0

and here's an article about it
Sable: A tool helping blind gamers make their onw games
https://www.gameindustry.com/editorials/eurofiles/sable-the-tool-helping-blind-gamers-to-make-their-own-games/

Dear geeky friends:

I thinnk this design for A-Go is relatively easy to produce, but I don't know the names for the various components.

Does this design make sense? Can anyone id the components needed?

Go already has stark black and white tokens which have enough contrast for low vision people, though in the case of A-Go the design would attempt to find precise shades that would make the contrast as vivid as possible.
The token sides could also be contrasted by making one side very smooth, and the other matte or even slightly rough.

Go already has a sectioned board that acts as a boundary for each token, , though in A-Go it would be useful to make the grid lines 3D.
In A-Go each square has a slight depression.
This has two purposes:
1. It allows blind people to feel the tokens on the board without moving them, and
2. It allows for a sound component to be placed at the bottom of the depression, so that when a token side makes contact, the color of the side facing up is spoken (or perhaps just signaled with one of two sounds to designate black or white).

Each token would also allow the players to touch it after it has been placed on the board so that players could go back and refresh their memory of the color of each token already on the board.

I recently did some consulting on an accessible game being designed by a group of MIT mechanical engineering students. I hadn't done any consulting for the past few years, so this was a huge amount of fun. The game involves tactile cards, RFID, and a talking gadget (I spent a lot of time dwelling on my love of Turret in Portal).

There will be a live webstream of the students giving their presentation, and possibly some video of comments from me. The start time of the Webstream is 7 PM, and the accessible game presentation should be at about 7:45 at
http://2009.mit.edu/rsvp/webcast/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Mark Barlet mark@ablegamers.org

The AbleGamers Foundation Releases Annual Shopping Guide For Disabled Gamers 2011

The AbleGamers Foundation lists the best technology available to gamers with disabilities for the holiday season.

Harpers Ferry, WV – Dec 2, 2011 – The AbleGamers Foundation today announced the completion of the 2011 AbleGamers Holiday Shopping Guide. This annual list is the compilation of the best technology and devices available to date for gamers with disabilities. The 2011 edition of the guide includes some annual favorites, the most advanced controller technology, and one award-winning device.
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Kes: note that these talks are recorded and archived so you can access them after the live event; instructions are below the cut. If anyone is considering developing an accessible game, I recommend that they check this out as it will include background info about game development.

Join Accessible World’s Tek Talk for Game Night with Michael Feir, Monday, October 31, 2011
Newswire:

As fall and cooling temperatures make their presence felt, our thoughts turn to inside activities. The computer plays a huge role as we make entertainment choices. Michael Feir will present a fun-filled hour of promising entries for the months to come.
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http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/600219258/blindside-the-audio-adventure-video-game

The American Printing House for the Blind is selling this kind of cool board game called
Treks
https://shop.aph.org/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_TREKS:%20The%20Game%20of%20Compass%20Directions_1-08910-00P_10001_11051
which I admit I thought was much more cool when I thought it was a handheld gadget and before I found out the price was $109.

Since this could be a really great way for visually-impaired kids--or even adults-- to learn about navigating their neighborhood or the neighborhood where their school is (I would actually like to have one of these for MIT), I wanted to figure out what it would take for someone to make a less expensive DIY version.

You can buy blank game boards here
http://www.barebooks.com/gameboards.htm
$3.95 for just the board, $7.95 for the kit.

Tactile dice are pretty easy to find: get the folks at Pandemonium to order some for you or you can order these
Giant Tactile Dice Black with White Dots for $4.95 at Amazon.com.

You could probably make an overlay from one of those clear plastic covers kids use for class reports, just add your own braille labels or raised dots, let's call that $5 spent at your local CVS or Staples.

You can purchase these
Bump Dots Medium Clear Round 20 per pack by Maxi-Aids
for $2.62 on Amazon
or you could use puff paint--let's splurge and say we want to use all the colors--
Tulip 3D Fashion Paint 1-1/4 Ounces 6/Pkg-Puffy by Duncan $23.75 on Amazon.

Rounding up to whole dollar amounts that still comes in under $50, less than half the price of the original game.