An Over Arching Symbol of Game Accessibility

Published by: One Switch on 11th May 2011 | View all blogs by One Switch

Beaving away at the SpecialEffect Game Accessibility Rating System, I have one problem I've been unsure about: What single symbol would best represent Game Accessibility? Something that you might see marked on game boxes and web-pages that tells you "Ah! This game should have some game accessibility features that may be of use to me"...

The images above are taken from around the web, including some great ones by Richard Van Tol, and one from the beautiful set of pictograms from the Beijing Paralympics.

Something I wondered about first was the wheelchair user on a blue back-ground, known as the "universal symbol of accessibility". Not all disabled people are wheelchair users, obviously, but this imperfect symbol has taken hold across the globe. Would we be mad to reject it? Or should we just tweak it a bit and give him a game controller?

What ever symbol we do end up with, it will ideally be accompanied by some extra text and a link leading people to more specific details about that particular game's accessibility features. If anyone has anythoughts, please post here, or feel free to e-mail: barrie@specialeffect.org.uk.

Comments

8 Comments

by One Switch 1 year ago

Been sent a very interesting idea from Dimitris Grammenos for a game accessibility symbol:

http://www.ics.forth.gr/hci/ua-games/docs/DGrammenos_Universally_Accessible_Games_and_Parallel_Game_Universes.pdf

See slide 185 onwards.

Over on Facebook, GameFWD's Brian Papineau, felt that the wheelchair symbol is a bit overdone, and not representing all.

Had a GameBase message from Alex Kostov stating not so keen on an overly complicated image that mixes lots of things together.

My wife said she'd like to see the wheelchair user playing a game with a joystick on the monitor/TV with a Space Invader on the side.

More to think about...
by eelkefolmer 1 year ago

Hey Barrie,

Great initiative. I have no preference for either symbol. I think this would make for a nice design challenge on reddit or some other site with photoshop savvy users.

Best Eelke
by One Switch 1 year ago

Thanks Eelke - design challenge sounds interesting - especially following learning about this http://ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/symbolwinner.html - coming from a design challenge for a web-accessibility design challenge from around 1996! (Thanks to Trisha for that on the IGDA GASIG mailing list).
by Shazmataz 1 year ago

Hi Barrie,

Well I initially saw the images above I also thought that the universal wheelchair symbol was not really that inclusive to people with other disabilities and I also think it would be great if we could break the "norm" so to speak. I agree with Alex with regards to an overly complicated image.

I personally think that maybe instead of looking for a symbol for disability we should perhaps look at the idea of inclusiveness in the sense of everyone being able to play this game...
by Cass 1 year ago

Hey dude, whilst helping Shaz type his response it made me think instead of having the symbol of the wheelchair, keep the same blue background but include a very simple joystick controller in white and a number (somewhere on the sign) for whatever level of accessibility the game is at. Simples xxx
by Shazmataz 1 year ago

That's a really good idea Cassandra! Especially the numbers!!!!
by Alex 1 year ago

But who would decide the level of accessibility? It might be harder for some people but easier for others. Like the idea though :)
by One Switch 1 year ago

@shaz - "we should perhaps look at the idea of inclusiveness in the sense of everyone being ablt to play this game..." - Like it - but what would that look like in symbol form? It's not easy I'm finding...

@Cass - Nice idea but I think some would find a joystick and a number confusing. I think people will look at a joystick with a number and think you can play with X number of people or X number of controllers. Also, to give a game an overall score out of 10 for accessibility is such a hard thing to do, that I've pretty much ruled it out. I did knock up a symbol with the eye, ear, brain and joypad in a cross layout, with marks out of 10 rated against the SpecialEffect wish-list of accessibility. Looked a bit complex without explaining it all, and after Alex's comment about mish-mash complicated symbols, and my wife looking at it all confused - I didn't bother to upload it.

Got four more symbols knocked up. Will look to pop them up on-line shortly. Be good to hear what you think about them. Thanks again all for giving us more stuff to think about.