[games_access] GDC 2009!

Sat Apr 4 10:06:43 EDT 2009

GDC this year was pretty good, especially the Game accessibility 101  
was well attended (perhaps 30-40 people?), but also our social  
gathering at the booth was more than the usual suspects, and the SIG  
roundtable too - we had about 5-6 new people at each.
Just sad we couldn't have an arcade this year. The DVDs was also well  
recieved.
/Thomas

On 4 apr 2009, at 11.25, AudioGames.net wrote:

> Thanks!
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Barrie Ellis
> To: IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List
> Sent: Saturday, April 04, 2009 10:47 AM
> Subject: Re: [games_access] GDC 2009!
>
> I recommend taking having a mooch around http://www.ablegamers.com/gdc-09-9.html 
>  - I think Michelle, Mark and Annette are somewhat exhausted from  
> the show at the minute. Any news from Thomas and Eitan?
>
> Barrie
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: AudioGames.net
> To: IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List
> Sent: Saturday, April 04, 2009 8:50 AM
> Subject: Re: [games_access] GDC 2009!
>
> So.... how was it?
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: d. michelle hinn
> To: IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List
> Sent: Sunday, March 22, 2009 2:16 AM
> Subject: [games_access] GDC 2009!
>
> Hi All!!
>
> Here's the rundown of this year's SIG and Game Accessibility related  
> talks happening at GDC! I'll include the times and places first and  
> at the end of the email you can read the full descriptions!
>
> Talk One: The Story of AudiOdyssey & My Journey through Usability
>
> Speaker: Eitan Glinert (President, Fire Hose Games)
> Date/Time: Monday (March 23, 2009)   1:30pm - 2:00pm
> Location (room): Room 3007, West Hall
> Track: Serious Games Summit
>
> Talk Two: Game Accessibility SIG Roundtable
>
> Speaker: Michelle Hinn (IGDA Game Accessibility SIG Chair)
> Date/Time: Thursday (March 26, 2009)   9:00am - 10:00am
> Location (room): Room 120, North Hall
> Track: Game Design
>
> Talk Three: Accessibility 101: Crash Course for Beginners
>
> Speakers: Michelle Hinn (IGDA Game Accessibility SIG Chair), Mark  
> Barlet (Editor-in-Chief, AbleGamers.com)
> Date/Time: Friday (March 27, 2009)   9:00am - 10:00am
> Location (room): Room 2002, West Hall
> Track: Game Design
>
> Talk Four: Game Accessibility & Developers with Disabilities Social  
> Gathering
>
> Speaker: Thomas Westin (Dep. Computer & Systems Science, SU/KTH,  
> Stockholm University/KTH)
> Date/Time: Friday (March 27, 2009)   10:30am - 11:30am
> Location (room): IGDA Booth, West Hall
> Track: Game Design
>
> This year we will have full coverage on AbleGamers.com who have  
> agreed to host our soon-to-be-unveiled SIG web presence! This will  
> be unveiled this week but if you go to AbleGamers you'll already  
> start to see some cool social networking features that will  
> undoubtedly help us reach to consumers, which we have always been  
> spread a little too thin to do, and help them reach out (even more  
> than the awesome job they've already been doing!) to the industry.
>
> So anyway, look forward to seeing videos from the talks and  
> interviews with major developers and daily coverage thanks to  
> AbleGamers reporter Anet (who is my former game design student/game  
> journalism graduate from Illinois!).
>
> This is our year -- I can feel it! Time to get Game Accessibility  
> out and about through some big time activism!
>
> After GDC, I'm going to call a series of online meetings to get some  
> of the things some of us were talking about getting going at the  
> beginning of the year. Some of this is already underway but I can't  
> yet tell you what it is (it's BIG though...) until I get the  
> permission of the third party involved.
>
> Upcoming conference appearances by members of the SIG include:
>
> * GDC Canada
> * GDC Europe
> * GDC China
> * Microsoft One Day Game Accessibility Seminar (that's me!)
> * Develop Brighton (Barrie -- can you make it to this again???)
>
> More news to come! Follow me at Twitter (@vrgrrl), Mark Barlet and  
> AbleGamers (@ablegamers), Barrie Ellis (@OneSwitch) , Richard van  
> Tol  (@AudioGames), and more! :)
>
> Michelle
> Chairperson,
> IGDA Game Accessibility SIG
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Full Descriptions of Sessions:
>
> ---------
>
> Talk 1:
>
> The Story of AudiOdyssey & My Journey through Usability
> Speaker: Eitan Glinert (President, Fire Hose Games)
> Date/Time: Monday (March 23, 2009)   1:30pm - 2:00pm
> Location (room): Room 3007, West Hall
> Track: Serious Games Summit
> Format: 30-minute Lecture
> Experience Level: All
>
> Session Description
> Not all serious games need to be those with visually exciting  
> graphics or even graphics at all. AudiOdyssey is a game that  
> provides the serious games community with an interesting twist -  
> developing a game that can be used to engage visually impaired  
> gamers and gamers together in the same shared experience. The story  
> of AudiOdyssey is itself a journey not only into game design for the  
> visually impaired but overall issues with how to create games with  
> easy UIs and engaging experiences. During this talk Eitan Glinert  
> who built AudiOdyssey while at MIT will present the story of  
> AudiOdyssey while also covering further issues in usability that are  
> useful not only for improving access for people with disabilities  
> but all levels of people learning, training and doing more with  
> videogames. Together this talk provides some critical highlights of  
> issues that are of paramount importance to games that don't get to  
> be selective about their audiences and gives insight into a game  
> that moved beyond presenting just a graphical experience.
>
> -----
>
> Talk 2:
>
> Game Accessibility SIG
> Speaker: Michelle Hinn (IGDA Game Accessibility SIG Chair)
> Date/Time: Thursday (March 26, 2009)   9:00am - 10:00am
> Location (room): Room 120, North Hall
> Track: Game Design
> Format: 60-minute Roundtable
> Experience Level: All
>
> Session Description
> The Game Accessibility SIG exists to help the game community strive  
> towards creating mainstream games that are universally accessible to  
> all, regardless of age, experience and disability. This SIG meeting  
> will briefly highlight our accomplishments from the past year. We  
> are eager to accept input for new initiatives to tackle and we are  
> actively recruiting volunteers and contributors.
>
> -----
>
> Talk 3:
>
> Accessibility 101: Crash Course for Beginners
> Speaker: Michelle Hinn (IGDA Game Accessibility SIG Chair), Mark  
> Barlet (Editor-in-Chief, AbleGamers.com)
> Date/Time: Friday (March 27, 2009)   9:00am - 10:00am
> Location (room): Room 2002, West Hall
> Track: Game Design
> Format: 60-minute Lecture
> Experience Level: All
>
> Session Description
> Want to increase the size and diversity of your game's audience by  
> including gamers with disabilities? This talk provides a list of 10  
> easy changes any game developer can use to start increasing the  
> accessibility of their designs for ALL gamers, especially gamers  
> with disabilities, with minimal effort but maximum impact. Learn  
> what disabled gamers and developers are doing, from modding your  
> game to your controllers, in order to play your games so that you  
> can begin implementing these fixes right from the start of your  
> development cycle!
>
> Takeaway
> Session participants will learn at least ten concrete ways that game  
> designers can use to get started in increasing the accessibility of  
> their mainstream games titles, as well as some innovative ways of  
> gaming that will interest all gamers, not just gamers with  
> disabilities. Different disability types will be discussed -  
> including visual (including low vision and color blindness),  
> auditory, mobility, and cognitive disabilities - and how these  
> different disabilities affect certain aspect of game play. Audience  
> members will come away with many examples of how gamers with  
> disabilities currently game and how their game companies can help  
> assist these gamers through design variations to make their game  
> play experience the best possible.
>
> Intended Audience and Prerequisites
> Designers, programmers, marketers, and publishers interested in a  
> "crash course" to learn and ask questions about game accessibility -  
> issues that gamers with disabilities face every day as they try and  
> play your games. Information given will include an overview of the  
> issues that those with specific disability types face, including  
> color blind gamers, the top accessibility problems in mainstream  
> games, and concrete solutions. No prerequisite knowledge is required  
> - just come with an open mind and willingness to seriously consider  
> making games accessible to MORE!
>
> -----
>
> Talk 4:
>
> Game Accessibility & Developers with Disabilities Social Gathering
> Speaker: Thomas Westin (Dep. Computer & Systems Science, SU/KTH,  
> Stockholm University/KTH)
> Date/Time: Friday (March 27, 2009)   10:30am - 11:30am
> Location (room): IGDA Booth, West Hall
> Track: Game Design
> Format: 60-minute Social Gathering
> Experience Level: All
>
> Session Description
> Social Gatherings are a chance for like-minded developers to get  
> together for networking and open discussion at the IGDA booth. Come  
> to meet your peers and engage in deep dialogue over your area of  
> specialty - or just partake in witty small talk.
>
> Takeaway
> Networking and discussion with your peers in a casual setting. A  
> sense of community.
>
> Intended Audience and Prerequisites
> Developers interested in game accessibility and developers with  
> disabilities.
>
>
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