How to make games for visually impaired children

Abstract

This paper discusses the principal constraints encountered when adapting computer game so they work for visually impaired children. A game platform, the blindstation, was developed to answer to the technical problem. It allows to adapt existing content or create some new games. It provides a set of Python functions to describe those games in an way, independent from their representation. The platform can then render the game in a multi-modal way using the screen, keyboard, mouse and joystick, but also using some specific devices like a Braille terminal, 3D sound, a tactile board or a speech synthesiser. The rendering is done according to an XML style sheet which describes the available resources. It can be customised depending on the available devices but also on the user's choices and disabilities. Our experience is based on the TiM project intends to develop and to adapt computer games for visually impaired children. Several games specially adapted for blind children (from 3 to 10 years old) were designed, involving blind children to evaluate and improve the games. We have established that this is more than games that are strictly accessible, that is games in which all contents can be accessed (directly or via an alternative), but games that are still considered as games by the targeted users.

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