Digital game technologies, that is, games and emerging game-based applications, are pervasively spread in society as a means of entertainment, education and exercise, amongst other uses. With this popularity, attention has been directed towards the accessibility of these technologies to people with disabilities to ensure equity, equal access to opportunities and realize earnings from a significant customer group. This study investigates: How is the attention of academic game accessibility research divided across game technologies, disability categories and use domains? And where is attention needed? To answer these questions, I conducted a review of research (162 manuscripts) on game technologies’ accessibility published between 2016 and 2020, inclusive. The reviewed literature appears to have a utility focus (e.g. on education and health management) that relatively de-emphasizes the importance of game accessibility for entertainment or fun purposes. Auditory, motor and mobility disabilities, and emerging gamification, exergames, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are especially under researched in the academic domain.
The psychological health outcomes of video games are drawing increasing interest around the world. There is growing interest in video games as an accessible health intervention for depression and anxiety, both of which are rising health concerns globally. New interaction techniques for video games are becoming increasingly popular, with natural user interfaces (NUIs) becoming more commonplace in game systems. This chapter explores the design of a meditative game, a subgenre of casual games that intends for players to become calm and relaxed, and the evaluation of the NUIs for the game. The purpose of the chapter is to ascertain which NUI is most suitable for meditative games. A meditative fishpond game was designed that accepts two NUIs: touch and eye-tracking. The game was evaluated using a Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. The study found the eye-tracking interface reported a higher positive affect score from users and is therefore most suitable for meditative games.
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