When you think of students using IT for Leisure it is simple to dismiss it as simply watching videos and listening to music. However it can be much more. With the advent of motion control consoles such as Nintendo Wii a new level of accessibility has arisen due to it not requiring the fine motor skills some modern day multi buttoned videogame controllers require. Such game systems having become very popular with our student base. On a purely leisure based level students have enjoyed playing Wii Sports and other games during IT Club which has allowed inherent development of functional skills such as speaking and listening, turn taking and others.

But the game is just the beginning of the game/technology based learning experience and there are many other activities that revolve around the game. I am currently organizing a Wii Bowling Tournament with a group of students and there are many other components to this than simply getting a room full of people playing video games. We’ve had students practicing their word processing skills to create posters, score sheets, potential schedules and also start to film a promotional video which further down the line we hope to bring in our Media Pathway students to edit for us. So it’s very much about using the game as a springboard as well as a motivational tool. Videogames are a major part of modern culture with a more and more diverse user base than ever before and it makes sense to tap into this to help give learning a purpose with a context that the students can relate and/or enjoy.

For some of our students with visual impairments Wii Sports Bowling is not accessible as it relies upon the player being able to see visual stimuli. All your shots are lined using an on-screen cursor with no audio feedback as to whether it is facing the pins or not. It does have a commentator who comments when the player gets a strike or a spare but other than that he is largely quiet.

However a team of programmers have put together a package called Vi Fit. VI Bowling has a motor learning feature that allows players to find the direction in which to throw their ball using vibrotactile feedback. Audio and speech effects are used to indicate the result of each throw detailing how many pins were hit and what the players score is throughout the game. There is an adaptation of Wii Tennis available where both vibrotactile feedback and audio feedback are used to help the student learn when they need to press the button. Recently they have also developed a brand new original product called Pet-n-Punch, which is a Whack a Mole game that again relies on the Wii Remotes features to let the student know when they should hit a mole, and this is something I intend to test in the future.

Along with providing a more accessible version of a popular video game using the VI Fit games also helps reduce the financial barriers families may face that could prevent students being able to access it as a leisure activity once they leave college. The Wii currently retails at around £180, however buying a Wii Remote is just £30 and is compatible with most home PC’s/laptops and the VI Sports software is freely available to download via their website.

It’s worth mentioning at this point that the Wii Remote is also able to be used in place of a mouse for students who perhaps lack the motor skills to operate a mouse accurately. We have found success using this with students editing movies in Windows Movie Maker using the Wii Remotes accelerometer to easily drag and drop clips into the place where they may struggle to do such actions using a conventional mouse set up.

Me and Mii has also been a very popular student activity. Where each student creates an in game avatar and uses it to play with. This aids students in thinking about their own body image and recognizing the point that everyone’s different. There is plenty of fun to be had when students play around and see what they would look like with a different nose or a different haircut.

Wii Fit is a piece of equipment using a Wii Balance Board that is both a game to be played as fun but one also has its uses as an application that provides many physiotherapy benefits, this is something we are looking into further in the hope of establishing using the Wii in physio based sessions. Whereas students may have had body resistance through feeling self-conscious within a physio session, using the Wii with a balance board can allow students to work on physio based tasks by playing a game and diminishing the consciousness of performing the same tasks within a physio based session. By making the experience more enjoyable through focusing around achieving in the videogame helps to motivate the student into taking part whilst at the same time doing exercises/routines that are physically beneficial. Brief trials last year showing a marked improvement in students achievements with the videogame aspect of the activity cited as a major motivator. This is something we hope to push further in the future and strengthen the link between games and therapy.

Thanks for taking the time to read this I have a few similar articles in the offing so please check back over the next few weeks.

http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/sharingpractice/p/professorlayton/introduction.asp?strReferringChannel=search&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-615801-64&goback=%2Egde_155852_member_28610789

So first before slamming this lets say what it does right! Yes its great that people are trying to come up with new ways of playing games. Whilst it seems Waterloo Labs focus is more on the science behind it all rather than trying to make it accessible but it does open up possibilities for the future of accessible gaming.

For a much more accessible and enjoyable Mario experience why not try out the single switch controlled Mario Dash:

http://www.eiksoft.com/eik/games.htm

A recent example cropped up in a feature on The Times Online:

Game players are still caricatured as antisocial youths with TV tans playing pointless rubbish.

Such stereotypes persist largely out of ignorance partly sustained by games being a relatively inaccessible medium. Disabilities aside, anyone can watch a film and enjoy it or listen to a piece of music and appreciate it. Games, however, are not as accessible. The multi-button controllers needed to play more complex games such as BioShock are a mystery to many. For those unfamiliar with these controllers, using them is like trying to eat granulated sugar with chopsticks while blindfolded.

As a result, many people base their views about games on out-of-context screenshots or a glimpse of people being killed in Grand Theft Auto. It’s a bit like seeing a gory moment from a horror film and concluding that every film is like that.

Whilst this was clearly part of a piece about far more than the accessiblilty problems facing disabled people it is worrying how it seemingly brushes aside the issue with a single half sentence. When this is a subject that deserves much more coverage in the mainstream press or even the regular gaming press. This is something that needs to be addressed and looked at and given more time than it is being at present.

If there is one thing I want you to take from article it is next time your talking about new game controllers (or non-controllers in the case of Kinectl) why not raise the issue of how it would work for someone with a disability. About how we can push developers and platform holders to enable all to games.

Microsoft have recently come out and said that Kinect can allow for users to be playing sat down opening up the possibility of wheelchair users/people who struggle to stand for sustained periods of time being to play. BUT why not make it a compulsory feature that developers have to include such features. Microsoft wants Kinect to totally remove the barrier presented by the controller to non-gamers/people intimidated by the complexity  then they need to ensure that all can use it.

The Indian Government has unveiled a prototype of what they have branded the cheapest computer ever. The project has been part of a drive towards getting cheap affordable computers to the masses with the ultimate aim of improving India’s literacy rate.Novel ways of reducing the base unit cost include using memory cards rather than having a harddrive along with not including a battery and using solar panels instead. Also running off a version of Linux means there is costs for operating system. Despite these exemptions the device still sports a touchscreen, multimedia capibilties and internet connectivity. The device is clearly modelled after the iPad with a similar design asthetic apparent between the two. Where this machine differs is of course in that elusive pricing with the unit’s expected manufacturing costcoming in at $23 (with promises to drive it even lower and close to the $10 mark) compared to the iPad’s retail price in the range of £500!

This does somewhat make a mockery of Tony Blairs “laptops for all school children” plans all those years back, as this actually has drive behind it striving to make computing more affordable. It helps to demonstrate how forward thinking teams can achieve results when working together. It is an interesting shift of power towards India (and other developing countries) currently having rapid growth in industries not traditionally linked with them. It is worth noting that a previous $10 handheld which showed up as a result of similar research based in India came to nothing, so there is a long way to this product becoming a reality and entering production. There are no manufacturers being linked with producing the computer at the time of writing although with its apparent cheap and affordable costs likely to make it proftiable for whoever took it on. However if this project was to bare fruit the instant beneficiers would be children in schools recieving these devices. Couple this with potential commercial opportunites and products of this nature could find their own niche in the market beside the more expensive iPad and PC tablet devices. Within this niche we can only hope there are some new ways for every one to access computers, programs and games.

For a video of the device’s announcement visit the Guardian newspaper website:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2010/jul/23/india-cheapest-laptop

The device itself can be bought here:   http://enablingdevices.com/catalog/toys_for_disabled_children/adapted-games/g…

http://www.bitmob.com/articles/demons-souls-is-teaching-me-job-skills

Inclusive Technology are currently in their tenth year having been set up as a division of a now defunct computer games company.Since those days their numbers have swelled to 30 and they are now of the top providers of assistive technology.

Inclusive Technology pride themselves on their range of software with the Switch It and Choose It ranges being of particular interest. Along with plenty of others some of which we hope to cover in the future on this site. They have put a lot of money to software development and definitely are reaping the benefits with a ever widening portfolio of software.

Where Inclusive Technology arguably have their greatest innovations is in terms of their hardware, truly making devices that are accessible for all through clever implementation of design choices.

One new product of particular interest is the Inclusive Tilt and Touch Plasma. Using the latest in multi touch screen technology coupled with the excellent bright high quality image provided by a Plasma (carrot extract and all, oh that’s LCD screens, seriously look it up) screen.

Inclusive also offer the larger slightly more restrictive Smartboards. Whilst Smartboards are fantastic they do have their drawbacks. Two versions of the Smartboard are currently available, the wall mounted projection version which has the obvious problems caused by shadows of the user. The come in two varieties Where the Tilt and Touch Plasma really comes to life is just how mobile it is and how versatile it can be. There is also the excellent Inclusive One Touch PC, which we will be covering more in depth at a later date.

Suffice to say Inclusive Technology have certain found their niche and will continue to provide their services and products to people with learning difficulties for many years to come, whilst also managing to appeal to a broader audience who may have interest ergonomics, communication aids or independent living. Hopefully they continue their great innovating work along the way.

For more information on Inclusive Technology visit http://www.inclusive.co.uk They attend a number of events up and down the country to showcase their products which is highly recommended. Keep an eye out here for future video features and reviews of their products.

Janette is 22 and recently graduated high school. She’s also disabled. When she was born, she was nearly strangled due to her doctor’s inability to unwrap the umbilical cord from around her neck. As a result of the lack of oxygen to her brain, Janette will supposedly never be able to read past a second-grade level or have the ability of speech past that of a three year old.

So yeah, it’s kind of a big deal that she’s graduating high school and kicking my butt routinely at the minigames in Wii Sports Resort.

For the full article read:

http://www.bitmob.com/articles/gaming-disabled

  Check it out:

  http://www.spicynodes.org/a/6239be1b123061a3761521ce66b20f2b

  This is something I am going to build on over time and hopefully build into something that works.
]]> http://enabled4gaming.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/spicy-nodes/feed/ 0 Adam Ducker