Game Accessibility Guidelines and W 3 C WCAG
Game Accessibility Guidelines and W 3 C WCAG 2 – a gap analysis ● Thomas Westin, Stockholm university, Sweden ● Ja. Eun Jemma Ku, University of Illinois, USA ● Jérôme Dupire, CNAM, France ● Ian Hamilton, Independent accessibility specialist, UK
Background ● W 3 C Silver Taskforce aims to go beyond the web to apps, which may include games. ● Canvas and Web. GL means that virtually every browser is a game runtime environment without plugins. ● However: Games are defined by strict rules. Games cannot be universally accessible within limits of game rules. 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
Game accessibility ● Game accessibility is to optimise usability within game rules for as many capabilities as possible ● CVAA update signed in 2010 for Advanced Communication Systems in games. Final waiver until Dec. 31 2018. ● Game Accessibility Guidelines (GAG) http: //gameaccessibilityguidelines. com/ Several other sets of guidelines exists as well. 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
The web perspective: Web to Apps. Games? Web WCAG 2 Mobile WCAG 2. 1 Apps – Silver TF Games – GAG ? 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. Of Computer and Systems Sciences
The game perspective: Compliance? Game Mechanics (player interaction) Guidelines Game Rules WCAG Compliance A/AA/AAA 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
Problem ● Canvas / Web. GL based games can only be optimised to follow WCAG 2 within limits of game rules, and ● WCAG 2. 0 does not include what is needed for accessible games but it unclear what is missing 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
Research questions 1. Which similarities and differences can be found between WCAG and GAG? 2. How may these differences inform the Silver Taskforce in the ongoing work to prepare next version of WCAG? 3. How could the optimisation for accessibility in web- based games be performed? WCAG 02/12/2020 GAG /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
Gap analysis Three steps: 1. WCAG-GAG side by side in spreadsheet 2. Evaluating whether each GAG was represented in WCAG 3. Follow-up of borderline cases This reduced 107 unique GAGs to 61. 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
Data collection part 1: Survey ● 61 GAGs were found not (or were still uncertain) to be in WCAG ● Exploratory survey approach to validate our analysis, 5 point Likert scale. ● 74 questions in total (61 GAGs, 6 demographics, 6 comments and 1 final question). 34 responses. 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
Survey questions: one example 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
Data collection part 2: Interviews ● Interviews with two recognized WCAG experts and one product manager overseeing accessibility testing, to further validate survey results. ● One pilot interview was made prior to the interviews with one of the survey respondents who contacted us 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
Results and analysis 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
WCAG experts – interview question 1 Does WCAG require giving a clear indication that interactive elements are interactive? ● IP 1: “I don’t think there any design requirements about visual design indicating interactivity” and further, “this would be at a programmatic level, your assistive technology knows that this is interactive and can tell you. ” ● IP 2: “I don’t think there are specifics about what interactive means” in WCAG and further that a game “is very different on how you might just interact with content or search on a browser”. ● IP 3: “I actually don’t believe WCAG 2. 0 covers this anyway, but 2. 1 might. ”. 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
WCAG experts – interview question 2 If a printed manual is provided on how to use a website, does WCAG require the printed manual to be duplicated online in a screen-reader accessible format? ● IP 2: “they need to have access to it in an alternate form. And that to me is covered by WCAG. ” ● IP 3: “No because WCAG does not cover stuff that is not web” and “WCAG for ICT, it is Section 508 that requires us to do that and not WCAG itself” ● IP 1: “No, because printed material is out of the scope of WCAG, it only addresses web content. ” 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
WCAG experts – interview question 3 Does WCAG require that subtitles/captions are or can be turned on before any sound is played? ● IP 1: “I don’t think it specifically requires that one way or the other. ” ● IP 2: “Whether that happens at the beginning, I don’t think there is any specific WCAG that requires that. ” ● IP 3: “No it doesn’t require that but you must be able to repeat it with them on”. 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
WCAG experts – interview question 4 Does WCAG require an option for non-essential elements to be bypassed, either by making a choice upfront or through a contextual skip option? ● IP 2: “to me the intent of the WCAG is to enable users to skip pass redundant information in the same way that any other user can do that. ” ● IP 1: “I would say definitely WCAG 2 does not address that at all” ● IP 3: “I don’t think it is covered by WCAG” and also adds that: “to enable people with different skill level to still manage to do the game that is absolutely awesome, and it’s not just disabilities, it’s like different skill levels so a kid might still be able to play it” 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
Discussion WCAG 2. 0 GAG WCAG 2. 1 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences WCAG compliance A/AA/AAA
WCAG 2. 1, Virtual Reality and Beyond A few issues are overlapped by WCAG 2. 1 - Pointer cancellation ~ Sensitivity of controls - Orientation ~ Portrait and landscape - Pointer gestures ~ Inputs in quick succession in a limited period of time Virtual (or extended) reality IP 1: “The accessible platform architecture working group is looking at areas of work that need focus on, accessibility focus, and we have already identified web virtual reality as a major topic in gaming as I believe a subcategory of that. ” 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
Conclusions 02/12/2020 /Name, Institution or similar
RQ 1: Main differences Diff. WCAG GAG Silver TF Problems 1 Web only Games only Maintenance 2 User agents, AT, programmatic determined More explicit and specific Maintenance 3 Levels: A/AA/AAA Basic / Intermediate / Advanced Conformance 4 Aims for universal accessibility Accessibility limited by game rules Conformance 5 Conformance oriented Best practice oriented Conformance 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
RQ 2: Value of Gap Analysis to W 3 C Silver Taskforce IP 1 said: “I believe a project like this will be an excellent first step to gather requirements. ”, and “One of the goals of Silver and the reason we have dropped web content from the name of Silver is that we want a broader scope”. 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
RQ 3: Optimising Accessibility for Web Based Games 1. For web content that is not a game: - use WCAG 2. For web content that is a game - use game accessibility guidelines The two approaches can be combined to create an accessible user experience of both the web page and the game. 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
Future research • Next step could be to evaluate more thoroughly which GAGs do not apply outside of games • …or to conduct several case studies where the design of Canvas and Web. GL based games are discussed in-depth involving Pw. D with experience of WCAG who preferably also have gaming experience. More about game accessibility: Game Accessibility Conference Europe Paris, October 22 gaconf. com 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
Thanks for listening! Questions? thomasw@dsv. su. se 02/12/2020 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences
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