Hi Eleanor, While I think your paper, Gaming on a Collision Course, was well written I think the big problem is that it is all too easy for an individual let alone a company to overlook problems/issues that they personally don't have. If someone isn't totally blind, or know someone who is totally blind, it is hard to convince that person it is in his/her interest to spend the time and money on researching universal acccess issues unless the stand to lose a substantial amount of money because of it. That's where that 25% or 26% of baby boomers will come in handy in a few years. If they do begin needing accessible games and make their voices heard or stop buying games completely it is going to make Nintendo and other companies take notice that they have a financial crisis coming. Until that day comes they are going to proceed as normal. To them your paper is only theoretical, and they aren't looking at the big picture.
When it comes to the mainstream in general and access issues we are second class citizens I'm afraid. For example, when Game Spot did the access article on the games we can play the mainstream reaction was cool, neet, and so on. However, when Game Spot did an article on the case where that teenager sued one of the game companies, I want to say Sony, over accessibility the mainstream reaction was derogatory and down right hostile. "How can a blind guy play games? This case is stupid, because we all know blind people can't play vidio games. If they want games perhaps they should just hire someone to make them some games and leave us alone." I have to say reading comments like that were pretty disheartening in the extreme. It is not only the companies that treat us that way, but the mainstream public has a pretty dim view of people with disabilities and what we should have equal rights too as well. There is just something wrong with the public's attitude that says that we are some kind of second class citizen and shouldn't ask or demand anything from mainstream companies even though it is a form of outright descrimination on their part. On 11/30/10, Eleanor <elea...@7128.com> wrote: > Dark said -" > > While it's possible that, if in 20 or 30 or so years when gamers start > losing their vision the major companies will take notice (and even then > probably not), I doubt very much it'll happen in the mean time." > > > It won't take nearly that long. The 2010 ESA Essential Facts paper > indicated that 26%of the gamers are over 50 years old. Since over 40% > of people 65 and older report at least one disability(US census data), > and the baby boomers are sixty or older, there are a lot of gamers who > need accessibility options built in now and in the upcoming years. > Obviously this is not all blind and VI problems, but it should mean > something to mainstream developers that they are losing potential > customers, right now, not 20 or 30 years from now! And it will only > increase as the trend for older folk to play games continues! > > When you add the older gamers to the mix it becomes a little easier to > think about profitability if you add at least some accessibility > accommodations to your games. > > But our paper, Gaming on a Collision Course didn't manage to convince > many developers that they should go that route - some of the blog > comments were pretty derogatory! > > Eleanor Robinson > 7-128 Software > > > > > --- > Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/gam...@audyssey.org. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. > --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gam...@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
