Game accessibility group to exhibit at E for All 2007

The Game Accessibility Special Interest Group of the International Game Developers Association will be an exhibitor at the upcoming E for All in Los Angeles.

The SIG will be presenting games, game mods, and game hardware designed for gamers with disabilities.

"The message we hope to convey is that games are for everyone and are an important part of life today that cannot continue to be inaccessible for people with disabilities," said Michelle Hinn, chairperson of the Game Accessibility SIG and game design instructor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

"The majority of games on the market remain unplayable by up to 10 to 20 per cent of the population. This is not simply an opportunity for developers to increase revenue - it is an issue of social injustice that must be corrected."

SIG members hope to raise awareness amongst potential gamers with disabilities that hardware alternatives exist to make playing videogames possible for some people with certain types of mobility disabilities.

However, Hinn noted that there are other types of disabilities--learning, auditory, and visual, for example--that impact game play in different ways, requiring other solutions.

"Solutions that help gamers with disabilities can enhance the game play experience for ALL gamers," she said.