The Pedagogical Value of Creating Accessible Games: A Case Study with Higher Education Students

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6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The potential of games in empowering underrepresented groups is a central theme in the field of media studies. However, to ensure that everyone can benefit from them, it is necessary to ensure that they are inclusive and accessible. In the present work, we have implemented a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach to target this problem, right at the stage of training new game designers and game developers. Thus, through a game-design-based or experimental game design pedagogical approach, we intended to promote inclusive and accessibility-driven game design and development skills in students, while decreasing their negative attitudes towards people with Intellectual Disability (pwID). A protocol with a Non-Governmental Organization in the field was established and, during two semesters, students were challenged to develop 10 accessible games and physical interfaces for pwID and motor disabilities, through participatory processes. Pre and post assessment was conducted, through a mixed-method approach. After participating in this process, students reported satisfaction and increased knowledge of cognitive and motor accessibility, and inclusive game design in general. Moreover, the attitudinal assessment showed significantly lower levels of prejudiced beliefs towards pwID (p < 0.05).

Original languageEnglish
Article number10
JournalMultimodal Technologies and Interaction
Volume6
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Funding

The present work was funded on the scope of a scholarship attributed by the Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Culture, and New Technologies (CICANT) to the first author. CICANT is co-funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia; FCT). Acknowledgments: The research team acknowledges the support of Associa??o de Pais e Amigos de Defi-cientes Profundos (APADP) in the game development processes. The team also thanks Hern?ni Pawlick David for providing students with advice and coordination regarding the games? programming. Acknowledgments: The research team acknowledges the support of Associa\u00E7\u00E3o de Pais e Amigos de Defi-cientes Profundos (APADP) in the game development processes. The team also thanks Hern\u00E2ni Pawlick David for providing students with advice and coordination regarding the games\u2019 programming.

FundersFunder number
Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Associação de Pais e Amigos de Defi-cientes Profundos
Not added101035820

Keywords

  • Accessibility
  • Game creation
  • Game design
  • Game development
  • Game-based learning
  • Games
  • Higher education
  • Inclusion
  • Intellectual disability

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