Accessibility is about user experience
At its core, Accessibility is about user experience – making digital experiences usable by as many people as possible regardless of ability. Conversations around accessibility usually drift to web site content and applications. And there is still a lot of work to do to make sites and other digital content accessible. But when it comes to gaming, there is an entirely new set of unique challenges around accessibility and assistive technology. Regardless of the challenges that exist, there is still the overriding question that asks, “How can the user experience of gaming be improved to include more people?” Companies like Microsoft, and others, are taking this question seriously and investing effort to make gaming experiences more accessible.
UK company Special Effect has an innovation
Special Effect is a non-profit based out of the UK, and they took accessibility and gaming a step further. From their website, Special Effect aims to “put fun and inclusion back into the lives of people with physical disabilities by helping them to play video games.” Recently, they released a free piece of software called EyeMine that let’s people play Minecraft with their eyes. It uses eye-tracking software and allows gamers without the dexterity or movement to use a controller or other pointing device to jump into the Minecraft environment to enjoy the full experience of the game. This is another great example of developing software to work with assistive technology so more people can enjoy gaming experiences.
Watch the short video below to check out EyeMine by Special Effect.
iSoftStone
iSoftStone is not a gaming development company, and we have no relationship with Special Effect. But we love technology and are committed to accessibility. When we see cool things like EyeMine we want to let people know so we can help increase empathy and raise accessibility awareness. If you want to learn more about accessibility or have questions about iSoftStone’s role in championing accessibility awareness and compliance, please reach out to us.
