[games_access] playing habits

Mon Feb 26 16:04:47 EST 2007

We surveyed 50 consecutive patients in a general rehab and multispecialty clinic setting, we are currently administering the same survey to a spina bifida population in a multisite study.
The majority of children had cerebral palsy (we had diplegic, quadriplegic and hemiplegic patients), but we also had patients with spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, head injury, and spinal cord injuries.  The vast majority played on standard consoles, certainly more than on the pc.  The game choices were all over the map in regard to ESRB ratings.  I would describe the games as typical choices within the top 25 games by sales.  We tried to capture skill level but our numbers were to small in the initial study. (we asked whether the child could compete with peers or siblings, compete with parents, or couldn't compete)

In this pilot we were really trying to show what we thought we knew that almost all kids that come through my clinic play video games, and virtually none of them use adaptive controllers. Not all children play the same way though, I have quadriplegic patients who will have their parents setup mariokart  and they lay on the floor and type away at the controller, they don't particularly pay attention to the game goals but still have fun with it.  

Our next project will be trying to measure ease of play.  We are trying to develop kinematic data in our motion analysis laboratory which we could then use to compare improvement in ease of access after medical/surgical interventions or after adapted controller changes.
Eugenio

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From: games_access-bounces at igda.org on behalf of games_access-request at igda.org
Sent: Mon 2/26/2007 3:17 PM
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Today's Topics:

   1. Re: cerebral palsy (Roome, Thomas C)

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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 14:17:09 -0600
From: "Roome, Thomas C" <thomas.roome at student.utdallas.edu>
Subject: Re: [games_access] cerebral palsy
To: "IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List"
        <games_access at igda.org>
Message-ID:
        <ADA47EFE15ACA74E8B702B6EF90D913906182C4D at UTDEVS08.campus.ad.utdallas.edu>

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What type of games  were the kids playing?  How old were the children in the survey and what types of disabilities?  What are the limitations of the kids?  How many people were survey? 

I have no doubt that kids with two good hands could play games on a Xbox, but were there any kids that did not have the find motor control to work controller? 

----------------------------------------------------------------
Thank You,
Tom Roome
ATEC Teacher Assistant
The University of Texas at Dallas
E-mail: thomas.roome at student.utdallas.edu

________________________________

From: games_access-bounces at igda.org on behalf of Eugene Monasterio, M.D. ext6806
Sent: Mon 2/26/2007 7:59 AM
To: games_access at igda.org
Subject: [games_access] cerebral palsy

HI
In regards to what children with cerebral palsy are playing it's remarkable similar to the general population.  I'm a pediatric rehabilitation physician with a research interest in adapted access and video games.  We surveyed our general rehab population a year or two ago and found that families own multiple consoles, kids play 5-8 hours a week and very few use any adapted access for gaming.  Of course this doesn't mean that they wouldn't benefit from adapted access.

Eugenio Monasterio, MD
Director of Outpatient Rehab
Children's Hospital Richmond

-----Original Message-----
From: games_access-bounces at igda.org
[mailto:games_access-bounces at igda.org]On Behalf Of
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Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2007 1:36 PM
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Subject: games_access Digest, Vol 32, Issue 18

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Today's Topics:

   1. Re: Games for people with cerebral palsy (Barrie Ellis)

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Message: 1
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 18:36:09 -0000
From: "Barrie Ellis" <barrie.ellis at oneswitch.org.uk>
Subject: Re: [games_access] Games for people with cerebral palsy
To: "IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List"
        <games_access at igda.org>
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Yes, Roy's changed his front-page. I've just contacted him to see what his intentions are. I'll host them for him if not.

In the mean-while this still seems to work: http://www.brillsoft.com/Index_files/Page396.htm

Barrie
www.OneSwitch.org.uk

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Robert Florio
  To: 'IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List'
  Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2007 6:16 PM
  Subject: Re: [games_access] Games for people with cerebral palsy

  http://www.brillsoft.com <http://www.brillsoft.com/>

  This link above Barrie seems to only be video tutorials for creating animation is there something else to find on that page?  It sounded cool but I'm not sure if I'm finding the right thing.

  Thanks

  Robert

  www.RobertFlorio.com

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  From: games_access-bounces at igda.org [mailto:games_access-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Barrie Ellis
  Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2007 9:33 AM
  To: IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List
  Subject: Re: [games_access] Games for people with cerebral palsy

  Hi Jeanette,

  I don't know the RJ Cooper Switch Hopper. Can you set the switch to act as any keyboard key or mouse action? If not, then you are going to be a bit limited in what software you can access.

  There's an alternative list of switch equipment here: http://www.oneswitch.org.uk/1/AGS/AGS-switch.htm. Click on the PC Switch Interfaces for more compatible devices that aren't too expensive.

  As for some nice basic cause and effect activities, try the following:

  http://www.brillsoft.com/ - Try Fab Four and Rockets (free download).

  http://www.northerngrid.org/sen/NetSwitch/index.htm - Very basic switch activities, but very useful - some abstract, some a bit childish (on-line or download)

  http://www.priorywoods.middlesbrough.sch.uk/kidsonly/games/footy/footy.htm - Football (Soccer to you) game - pure cause and effect up to scan and select.

  http://www.sldonline.org/Kingsbury/Kingsbury.htm - On-line games and activities - have a hunt round (free download).

  http://www.papunet.net/pelit/_tarkkuuspelit/tikka/ - Papunet - Darts game (on-line).

  http://www.pvoice.org/ - Pvoice - story book that you can cycle through with a switch and more (free download)

  http://www.reactivecolours.org/ - one or two, one-button compatible activities that could be nice.

  Some of the one-switch games can work in a fun cause and effect way too. Try: Atom Cruncher, Aurikon, Bombzone, Cheat 7,

  Don't forget that having a PC interface, you'll be able to get a switch to stop/start MP3s/CD tracks run through a 'visualiser' animation. Also, stop/starting MPEGs/DVD clips can be great fun. Also using a slide show set-up you can get people to cycle through photos that may interest them. Some of the DJ'ing software can be enormous fun, where the musician can click on/off tracks to build up a song with help. Also just being able to click through places of interest on the internet with a good enabler helping to navigate can be fun (providing you have a quick set-up). Disney's Magic Art Studio, whilst not super age-appropriate - could be a lot of fun with assistance, used as a cause and effect device (press the button and fill the screen with a different colour for example).

  I'd recommend looking into games console and computer emulators for the PC. Old Atari VCS/2600 games can be great fun, such as Bowling, Air-Sea Battle and Outlaw. Megadrive/Genesis games can frequently be used to trigger sound effects and music with a single switch. The Atari ST had some light-synthesisers (Colour Space and Trip-A-Tron) and art packages that may be good fun.

  I'd also suggest that you look at getting a Playstation One or PS2 with switch interface. Take a look here for some more ideas. http://www.oneswitch.org.uk/2/I/Playstation-PC/Iplaystation.htm - I highly recommend getting your hands on the 'Interactive Sound Lab' "Fluid" and racing game "Destruction Derby". I do a switch interface as does RJ Cooper.

  Hope this helps,

  Barrie

  www.OneSwitch.org.uk

    ----- Original Message -----

    From: InRNette at aol.com

    To: games_access at igda.org

    Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2007 12:15 PM

    Subject: Re: [games_access] Games for people with cerebral palsy

    Robert:

    Yes, we have messaged before.  I am one of the groups quiet members.  I have been watching the groups progress since I joined.

    I use for my students to access the computer:

    RJ Cooper's Switch Hopper (USB interface)

    Special Education Software, Hardware and Assistive Technology Products - Special Needs Children and Special Ed Learning Resou..

    Enable Mart Big Red Switch, Jelly Bean Switch, Finger Switches, etc. (Ablenet is undergoing an update on their website)

    Enablemart - EnableMart.Com - Switch Solutions

    The young people that I work with are homebound because they simply cannot attend either a partial day or full day program because there needs are best met at home or in a hospital. Currently we are trying to find a means of communication for a young man who suffered a traumatic brain injury in-utero (His Mom was shot for the money and tips as a pizza delivery person), is a quad requiring total care for activities of daily living, loves watching old TV shows, responds and smiles appropriately. We have worked low tech for him and we know that he is able to make choices with his eyes.  The teacher contacted us a couple of months ago because his care giver pulled out two switches and the positioning equipment that an agency had purchased and never follow through on. Not knowing what he could do with these switches, we positioned them like the care giver indicated then I popped into the computer just a cause and effect piece of software by RJ Cooper......if looks could slap m
 e, I would have been on the ground.  We moved on very rapidly to another of Coopers demo downloads called "Battle of the gods" (I think) and the look was replaced with completely different look that allowed me to continue standing. (A battle with the gods sure beat out the frog sticking his tongue out to catch a fly hands down.)

    Your site has grown tremendously.  I will be passing the link on to our other AT Consultants and teachers we encounter.

    When I say age appropriate, I need simple cause and effect software that an older student would be able to use that allow them to progress from the beginning to as far as they can go.  Cause and effect software that we have found up until now have been considered juvenile for our teens hurt in an accident with cognitive awareness that surpasses their ability to express themselves.

    Hope this helps explain what I am looking for.

    Jeanette

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