OURCADE: A Game to Solve Real-World Game Accessibility Puzzles

Area of Science:

• Human-computer interaction
• Game studies
• Accessibility research

Background:

• Growing accessibility in video games contrasts with limited resources for disabled gamers.
• Existing game accessibility information is fragmented and difficult for players to find.
• Player communities are a potential source for crowdsourced accessibility data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a novel system for discovering and evaluating video game accessibility.
• To leverage player engagement for creating a crowdsourced game accessibility wiki.
• To explore the potential of social simulation role-playing games in addressing complex accessibility questions.

Main Methods:

• Design of OURCADE, a social simulation role-playing game.
• Utilizing player engagement mechanics to gather game accessibility information.
• Developing a wiki-based resource for curated accessibility data.

Main Results:

• OURCADE effectively engages players in contributing to a game accessibility knowledge base.
• The system demonstrates potential for creating a comprehensive and reliable resource.
• Player-driven data collection offers a scalable solution for accessibility information.

Conclusions:

• Social simulation games can be powerful tools for citizen science and accessibility research.
• OURCADE provides a viable model for improving game accessibility discovery for disabled gamers.
• Further research can expand on using games as platforms for addressing complex societal challenges.