Making the mainstream accessible: redefining the game

Research into improving the accessibility of computer games can enable us to better understand what makes a good gaming experience for all users. We discuss work carried out in developing AudioQuake (an adaption of Quake for blind gamers); specifically the techniques used for rendering information and the nature of this work in contrast to other accessible games (both research and commercial). Based on user feedback regarding the effectiveness of the methods employed in AudioQuake, techniques for not only imparting but allowing vision-impaired users to edit 3D structures are proposed. Taking into account the progress made so far, we make the case for future research work, which could benefit many different types of users and help increase accessibility in other areas such as education.