[games_access] GASIG Project Proposal (was: DarkKeyboard)

[AudioGames.net]

Hi John

Excellent initiative!! I'll check it out!

... your idea made me wonder whether or not you can help me with the following idea...

About a year ago a blind friend told me about a (I think it was a JAWS) extention which allows (sighted) users to create maps of hotspots (on screen) which are tab-able and then clickable, simulating mouseclick on that hotspot which has the focus. This allowes blind users to control applications that are not tab-able so which they otherwise can't control. I thought this was a great idea and immediately my imagination was triggered with all sorts of functionalities you could add from which not only the blind could benefit, but many more people with impairments. Here's my design vision of such an application:



This basically is concept of an application which runs at the same time as another application (such as a game or whatever - see image below) and which creates a map of (invisible) hotspots over the application or game. Such maps with hotspots can be made by people themselves for the applications/games they choose. Hotspots are basically 'interaction' points and simulate mouseclicks (in this concept for now ;). Alternate descriptive media can added to hotspots that are expressed when the focus is set to that hotspot, like text or audio description. The hotspot focus can be set to input of choice (keyboard keys, switch,...) or can run automatically, using a timer. Interaction with the hotspots can also be defined: keyup = left mouse click, keyhold = right mouseclick, etc.,



Eventually one could go on expanding such a program, maybe even allowing (game) developers to add connections to such a hotspot application, dynamically updating text descriptions or dynamically changing maps for different screens or whatever. Of course, this application would mostly work with games and applications with very static screens :)

On a blue monday I started building a mock-up stand-alone application (using Adobe Director with several Xtras) but I didn't get very far since this particular authoring environment wasn't build to do stuff like this (I had major focus issues between applications). That's why I shelved this idea for later...

... which is now ;)

John, since you mentioned that it's "Amazing what you can do with "spare parts" of game code.", I was wondering if your company is maybe capable of building the application (using spare pars ;) I propose here? I was thinking that we could maybe pick up this project as a (fun!) GASIG project and see how far we can get (without making this a complex (funded) project)?

Bye!

Richard 


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Bannick" <jbannick at 7128.com>
To: <games_access at igda.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2008 12:30 AM
Subject: [games_access] DarkKeyboard


> Folks,
> 
> A German gaming colleague said that he was having trouble playing some 
> games because he didn't know what all his keys did.
> 
> So I built this program, DarkKeyboard, that speaks each key as you press it.
> Amazing what you can do with "spare parts" of game code.
> 
> DarkKeyboard intercepts your keystrokes so that they do absolutely nothing 
> except speak to you.
> DarkKeyboard self-voices. It's installation program works with JAWS.
> DarkKeyboard works on Windows computers available since 2000, including Vista.
> 
> Being a small company, I just posted DarkKeyboard to our Web site, 
> www.7128.com.
> It's totally FREE. No registration, No ads. No spyware.
> 
> If you think it might be useful, or know someone who might find it useful, 
> please go get a copy.
> 
> Damn, this is fun!
> 
> John Bannick
> CTO
> 7-128 Software
> 
> _______________________________________________
> games_access mailing list
> games_access at igda.org
> http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access
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