[games_access] Top 10 Accessibility Features - rough draft from One Switch

[Jonathan Chetwynd]

barrie,

seems a good starting place, nothing stood out, perhaps:

     alternative i/o as in keyboard/joystick, pretty fundamental

     user controlled feedback on progress ie more/less, car racing is  
reported to have stunning feedback.

cheers

~:"

On 8 Sep 2005, at 21:13, Barrie Ellis wrote:

Rough Top 10 accessibility features:


Brief Top 10:

1. Volume controls.
2. User definable controls.
3. Broad difficulty level options.
4. Subtitles for dialogue and sound effects.
5. Trainer/help modes.
6. Easy to navigate menus.
7. Text to Speech.
8. Speed control.
9. Thought for partially sighted and colour blind gamers.
10. Simplified control mode option.



More detailed Top 10:

1. Volume controls. Should enable Individual volume controls over  
MUSIC and SFX from OFF to full volume. These should take effect over  
the entire game, menus included. These can benefit deaf and learning  
disabled gamers.
2. User definable controls. Ideally featuring the ability to map  
multiple controls to individual buttons, rapid fire (if appropriate)  
and ability to use digital controls to operate analogue controls.
3. Broad difficulty level options. Perhaps ranging from 1-10, 1 being  
the easiest, 10 the hardest. Level 1 should seem be extremely easy  
for the majority of gamers. Games that have lives or time limits  
could offer a wide range of choices here too.
4. Subtitles for dialogue and sound effects.
5. Trainer/help modes. Perhaps an option you can turn on that 'holds  
your hand' through a game, and points out various features to make  
them easier to understand.
6. Easy to navigate menus. Quick start for a game, minimal number of  
controls necessary to navigate.
7. More spoken text. Option for all text to be read out loud.
8. Speed control over game. Variations from very slow to normal.
9. Thought for partially sighted gamers (e.g. adjustable text size /  
colour scheme etc).
10. Simplified control modes. Simplified controls for gamers unable  
to use many controls.

The above is quite rough, and I've likely left out something glaring,  
but I wanted to get something in...

Barrie
www.OneSwitch.org.uk
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Jonathan Chetwynd
Accessibility Consultant on Learning Disabilities and the Internet

29 Crimsworth Road
SW8 4RJ

020 7978 1764