Blind’s Inclusion in Mobile Games

Abstract

Over the last three decades, video games have evolved from a pastime into a force of change that is transforming the way people perceive, learn about, and interact with the world around them. Despite this increased interest, a significant number of people encounter barriers when playing games, due to a disability. Most games are developed without taking into account the accessibility for people with visual disabilities. Despite all efforts to promoting equal opportunities and social inclusion of people with disabilities, there are still few computer games taking into account the accessibility for the blind. The Game2Senses project intends to reduce the social barriers between the blind community and those not suffering from visual disabilities. It aims to increase the quantity, variety and quality of computer games for the visually impaired. This will be achieved by developing a multiplayer game for mobile devices that requires players to interact. It uses 3D auditory experiences and haptic feedback as ways for primary stimuli. It also provides a basic graphic interface to motivate individuals to play since we aim the game to be played by visually impaired and sighted people cooperating with each other. The inputs of the game are very simple consisting in only six movements, gyroscope movements and touchscreen movements: click, double-click, swipe left, swipe right, swipe up and swipe down. In the end, the game will be tested to know if a blind can play the game. It will be evaluated with a survey with questions about intuitiveness, gameplay and degree of entertainment.