[games_access] MMOG Topics for Terra Nova?

[d. michelle hinn]

Lol...well, I'm not sure why I do this, as I'm not sure it's a common 
dyslexic thing but I meant to say MARK from AbleGamers and not Mike! 
:)

Michelle

>Thanks Tim and Barrie! I'll gather together a post that covers your 
>ideas (and, no, Tim...you aren't crazy!). I have a whole bunch of 
>posts ready to go and I think I'm just going to overload the TN 
>crowd. I like how one person assumed that I was wholesale rallying 
>AGAINST the industry -- yes, in part...but only because I want 
>people INCLUDED and not the usual "let's shut down the industry" 
>rants.
>
>And I'd like to welcome Mike from AbleGamers to our list! It's great 
>to have a MMOG group joining in! Mike -- please let us know some of 
>the exciting things that you are up to. We're not a huge group but 
>we are loud and passionate. Sometimes we argue but we all are on the 
>same side -- what family doesn't have it's spats now and again? :)
>
>Michelle
>
>>Excellent post, Tim. I think you've covered most of it there.
>>
>>I think it's worth posting up some information on 
>>http://www.ablegamers.com/ - as they are particullarly into 
>>Massively Multiplayer On-line Role Playing Games (MMORPG's). They 
>>aren't huge, but they seem a good bunch.
>>
>>Bit more on them here: http://ablegamers.com/content/view/16/66/
>>
>>I think that the partitioning idea may be essential for some gamers 
>>where they can play according to ability. I remember going to 
>>MegaZone 
>>(http://www.rayleighmegazone.co.uk/index.php?page=gallery&sub=picsub) 
>>where you wear a special flak jacket and carry a laser gun in a 
>>warehouse full of dry ice. My friends and I were obiliterated by 
>>'hard-core gamers'. I.e. some pathetic geeky kids that probably 
>>spent all their spare time playing this game. We'd have had much 
>>more fun if they'd had their seperate gaming arena - and us - 
>>less-able - gamers our own. Can't see any problem at all in that 
>>for MMORPGs either.
>>
>>Anyway, my witterings done - keep chipping away. Perhaps we really 
>>do need to reassure the insecure hard-core gamers with 
>>12-year-old-boy mentality that they can still keep their zen-master 
>>settings and gameplay alongside others being able to play their 
>>game too.
>>
>>Barrie
>>www.OneSwitch.org.uk
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message ----- From: "Tim Chase" <agdev at thechases.com>
>>To: "IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List" <games_access at igda.org>
>>Sent: Sunday, May 20, 2007 1:36 AM
>>Subject: Re: [games_access] MMOG Topics for Terra Nova?
>>
>>>>I have LOTS of ideas for posts but I don't think that they
>>>>will be received well by the Terra Nova crowd -- if anyone
>>>>can help me think through how to post about a particular
>>>>topic, even if it's only very narrowly related, I'd
>>>>appreciate it!
>>>
>>>In these forums (forae?) at TN and on other popular gaming
>>>boards, I repeatedly see a couple issues thrown in the face
>>>of efforts here:
>>>
>>>1) adding accessibility features "dumbs down" the game
>>>removing the fun/challenge for the hard-core gamers;
>>>
>>>2) equating the accomodation of all disabilities with
>>>accomodating even *some* disabilities; and
>>>
>>>3) the difficulty of adding certain accessibility features
>>>to MMOG worlds
>>>
>>>Yes, it's hard to be all things to all people without it
>>>dominating the design of the game--an aspect that may churn
>>>the stomach of even the most socially-minded game designer.
>>>However, even small advances on any of these fronts may make
>>>significant headway for accessibility in gaming.
>>>
>>>For #1, there are repeated themes of how *certain* features
>>>added for accessibility benefit all gamers.  Things like
>>>remappable controls or [CC] are often mentioned.  Also, a
>>>variety of difficulty levels, though not mentioned quite as
>>>much, offer entry points for the casual gamer, but allow for
>>>deeper challenges for the "industrial-strength" gamer.
>>>
>>>Just because a game offers remappable controls doesn't mean
>>>hard-core gamers are going to be impared by it.  Just
>>>because someone can turn on [CC] and play with the audio off
>>>while their wife/kids are sleeping, doesn't mean they have
>>>some advantage over other folks.  And if a hard-core gamer
>>>finds the "easy" level too easy, well, that's their own dumb
>>>fault and they should crank up the difficulty.
>>>
>>>Requiring less complex controls (whether as drastic as
>>>one-switch or simply cutting back on the 20-buttons, 2
>>>D-pads, 2 analog sticks, and 6 DoF gyro controls) makes the
>>>game more accessibile not just to folks with mobility
>>>problems, but to casual gamers in general.  Cell-phone games
>>>and one-switch games seem to be made for each other and for
>>>marketing to the casual gamer.
>>>
>>>With #2, I think it would be helpful to enhance our
>>>suggestions/top-10 list with annotations regarding the
>>>difficulty to implement such a feature, how it impacts game
>>>design, and how it helps reach a larger demographic (and how
>>>large that market-increase is).  The idea of creating a game
>>>for the Who's _Tommy_ scares a lot of folks.  When we
>>>mention the word "accessibility", folks see a
>>>black-and-white world in which a game is either
>>>inaccessibile, or the "deaf, dumb, and blind kid [that] sure
>>>plays a mean pinball" can play it.  Perhaps clarifying that
>>>there's a gradient of accessibility would soften our
>>>message.  While, yes, it would be great to make games that
>>>Tommy can play against the hard-core gamer where they're
>>>both on an equal footing, there's also a range of less
>>>drastic measures that game designers can incorporate that
>>>allow them to retain freedom of design while still
>>>increasing their audience.
>>>
>>>The third item is one of the hardest and something that's
>>>not been discussed quite so much on the list.  A number of
>>>features for accessibility come at odds with these worlds,
>>>often because they mirror the same barriers that the real
>>>world presents.  Some of the items in our top-10 are
>>>difficult if not impossible to implement in such a world:
>>>
>>>- slowing the game down like bullet-time impacts the whole
>>>  world, or
>>>- giving everybody access to auto-aiming reduces the
>>>  challenge for those crazy hard-core gamers, and unlevels
>>>  some of the playing field
>>>- adding [CC] becomes more difficult because there's not
>>>  just a pre-scripted set of lines that the audio department
>>>  records, but you have live voice-chat that doesn't [CC]
>>>  easily
>>>- a broad range of difficulties is hard to implement when
>>>  the hard-core gamers are in the same world as those that
>>>  need easier challenges
>>>
>>>Theoretically, one could use voice recognition software to
>>>do dynamic [CC] of voice-chat, but voice recognition
>>>software still has a long way to go, and sucks up a lot of
>>>processor time/power from games that may want it.
>>>
>>>I understand that some MMOGs have a partitioned world in
>>>which the newbies (and those that need the "easy" setting)
>>>can gain their footing.  This is an elegant solution to the
>>>problem, that players can stay in such a world as long as
>>>they want/need, and venture into harder partitions as their
>>>skills grow or as they need more difficulty.
>>>
>>>Perhaps a way to address some of the disparity in the world
>>>is to make it publicly known which settings a person is
>>>using and perhaps partition players by assistive
>>>technologies; or reduce assistance as the player levels-up.
>>>Or newbie players in the sandbox world may have very sloppy
>>>aiming where auto-assist helps them.  However, as they level
>>>up, or adventure into more challenging sectors of the
>>>universe, the auto-assist features start dialing back.  This
>>>could allow a player that needs assistive features to still
>>>play, but also allow the hard-core gamers to get their fix
>>>of difficulty.
>>>
>>>Anyways, if you've read this far and haven't written me off
>>>as a loonie yet, thanks for playing the audience to my
>>>long-winded ramblings.  Michelle, I don't know if any of
>>>this is helpful fodder for future postings, but it's mostly
>>>a brain-dump of my reactions to some of these myths and
>>>mis-impressions I see on such gaming boards when the topic
>>>of accessibility comes up.
>>>
>>>-tim
>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>games_access mailing list
>>>games_access at igda.org
>>>http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access
>>>
>>
>>
>>
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