Making the Mainstream Accessible Simplified Structured Information for the Blind and Sighted Matthew T. Atkinson Research School of Informatics, Department of Computer Science, Loughborough University The AGRIP website can be found at http://www.agrip.org.uk/ Why Care about Accessible Gaming? * Represents a number of ``classic'' accessibility problems + Serialisation + Conveying Structure + Audio-based User Interfaces + Navigation + Accessible Documentation + /Inclusion/ The Past of Accessible Gaming * This talk concentrates on sight loss but could be applied to other disabilities * Many individuals and some small companies started developing accessible games for disabled people * Suddenly blind people were no longer limited to one genre (Interactive Fiction) * Most of the games were conversions of puzzles or classic arcade games * Some developers have been more original * Drawback: /Segregation/ The Present of Accessible Gaming Ethos of the AGRIP Project + Provide access to not only mainstream games, but their surrounding online community and development tools + Give people Freedom to use and modify the game, support infrastructure and tools * AudioQuake + An ``Accessibility Layer'' for Quake (id Software) + A system for playing Internet multiplayer games + A platform for programming modifications + Only possible due to Open Source nature + /Provides and promotes inclusion/ * AGDev and other developments The Future of Accessible Gaming * AGRIP Developments + ``Implicit Accessibility'' + Level design * Mainstream game developers begin to notice + Work of IGDA, AudioGames.net, AGDev and others * Audiogames and Accessible games gain weight in industry + Definition: ``accessible games'' vs. ``audiogames'' + John Carmack's Keynote point + Potential mobile market Links to Education * EA and NESTA study on games in education * Potential to augment existing practices and assist in teaching + Spatial awareness + Basic programming principles + Maths? Logic? + Study aims to answer these questions * But what about disabled students? + Technology exists to make game-based lessons accessible + Possible that it could prove even more useful for disabled than ``normal'' students + /Inclusion/ is imperative + An AudioQuake-derivative could fit in -- Open Source + ICC 2005 Brno as an example Further Research Ideas * Research just begun; these are ``blue sky'' directions that could be taken * Logical extensions of the current work * Making 3D Engines/Applications Accessible * 3D Audio & Effects Conveying Structured Information * Other ways to Serialise data such as Equations * /Generalisation/ and /Reason/ Making 3D Engines/Games Accessible * Quake engine started many modern engine design trends * Techniques for making it accessible are quite generic * Could be layered on top of other game engines or similar 3D applications * Examples: + Inclusion in more contemporary games + Accessibility of buildings + Equal access to projects such as the virtual ISS + Mobility, Spatial awareness? + Level-editing/3D design applications? * /Not just applicable to games/ 3D Audio Work * Stereo has enabled the severity of serialisation to be reduced + Would this extend to 3D sound? * Would ``Implicit Accessibility'' actually work or even be possible? * Which sounds provide the most accessibility per unit time? * Can any 3D model be described in audio? * Can nominally 2D data be described in a more accessible way using 3D audio? + e.g. Mathematical equations, flow diagrams + What about other output formats? Serialising Structured Data * Diagrams, tables, lecture notes, web pages... * Maybe it is possible to preserve some aspects of the structure * Need to avoid the ``wood for the trees'' situation * One general technique: + Render data at low resolution + Provide the ability to alter ``viewing distance'' * Different output styles suit different people * More advanced navigation and overview techniques in development Reasons for Generalisation * So far a number of potentially useful techniques have been proposed * AudioQuake is an example of a domain-specific solution + Access and inclusion for a few types of structured information * My research is into /generalisation/ of the principles * A way to come up with valid /reasons/ for using certain technologies is needed + e.g. Why decide to use audio, tactile or Braille feedback? * Output should be tailored to the individual * A model of how disabled people access information is needed Accessibility is a subset of Usability * Tailoring of information and presentation would benefit everyone + DRC report shows websites are 35% easier for everyone to use if accessible + Forrester: 60% of US adults would benefit from some form of assistive technology + Mobile games would be easier to use with added sound cues + Applications are easier to use if interface more logically structured + . . . * Research is based on idea of ``Accessibility is a subset of Usability'' + Domain specific techniques will be turned into General principles + Accessibility layers will be expressed as Different rendering styles + Inclusion is the belief that we are the Same model; different parameters Summary * Mainstream accessibility, even in unlikely places, is possible * Much further work needs to be done to make this practical on a large scale * Links into many areas, especially those relating to accessible rendering of structured information * Potential to help disabled and non-disabled people * Great opportunity for future research Thanks for listening! Any Questions? M.T.Atkinson@lboro.ac.uk http://www.agrip.org.uk/ == END ==