OUT NOW: SpecialEffect DevKit – Access For All

OUT NOW: SpecialEffect DevKit – Access For All

SpecialEffect, the charity which puts fun and inclusion back into the lives of physically disabled people across the world has released its new SpecialEffect DevKit, a free video-based online resource that shines a spotlight on motor accessibility within game design, offering practical ideas and examples for developers looking to make their games more inclusive to players with physical challenges.

Based upon the charity’s vast experience working directly with physically disabled players, the DevKit features more than 40 videos packed with accessibility principles, best-practice suggestions, and examples of the work developers have already done to create innovative ways of accessing games.

The DevKit breaks motor accessibility down into seven key topics that cover not only how players interact with a game through their input devices, but also ways of providing different levels of challenge in the gameplay that suit their controller setup.

Developers are invited to consider players who may need multiple input devices, remap in-game actions, or use an alternative to holding / repeatedly pressing an input. Other topics include the potential benefits of adjusting control sensitivity, practice areas, assists and automatic actions.

Dr Mick Donegan, the founder and CEO of SpecialEffect, said:

Our in-person assessments have given us an invaluable insight into the kinds of accessibility features that could make a literally game-changing difference to the gamers we help.

The SpecialEffect DevKit breaks these improvements down into detail, explains why they might be useful for some players, and shows developers examples of how they might create and implement them into their own games.

We are hoping that the DevKit will become a valuable source of information for developers around the world.

James Thomas, Lead Engineer at Rare Ltd, added:

SpecialEffect have been priceless at inspiring change within the studio. They’ve provided valuable guidance and feedback as we strive to improve accessibility at Rare.

The charity has collaborated with many of the leading game developers and publishers around the world including Microsoft, Rare, EA DICE and Playground Games / Turn 10 Studios.

The DevKit is the latest addition to the charity’s growing list of accessible gaming resources, which include www.gameaccess.infoEyeMine and Eye Gaze Games.

Find out more

To learn more visit the SpecialEffect DevKit resource page.

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