Teaching Video Game Design Accessibility: Toward Effective Pedagogic Interventions in Accessible Design

Abstract

Video games are enjoyed as creative, emotional, and social outlets for many. However, for a growing number of people with disabilities and/or those acquiring disabilities due to age-related decline, this kind of media is becoming inaccessible. The future of accessible game design hinges on teaching the next generation of game developer professionals of best practices and providing them experience to create their own accessible games. Still, little is known for effective pedagogic practices that instill domain knowledge and awareness in students on accessibility design. In this early work, researchers explore the impact of one 60-min accessibility lecture on the way student participants sonified a game for those with visual impairments. Results indicate that students receiving the lecture produced a more accessible product for player with visual impairments, while also intimating higher levels of empathy for those with disabilities. Based on these findings, we present recommendations for how instructors can implement a minimum viable pedagogic intervention for accessible game design, if a longer engagement with this material is not possible.