Involving children and young adults with complex needs in game design

Involving young people with complex needs in game design can be a challenging research endeavor, particularly when working within a school context. In this paper, we discuss findings from two case studies where we worked with young adults with visual impairment, and young people with mobility disabilities. We focus on ethical challenges that emerged during the research process, and we discuss management strategies to foster the establishment of inclusive and engaging field research into video games for young people with complex needs

Game-based learning or game-based teaching?

Emerging technologies for learning report - Article exploring games based learning and its potential for edcuatio

Using Game Learning Analytics for Validating the Design of a Learning Game for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities.

Serious Games, defined as a game in which education (in its various forms) is the primary goal rather than entertainment, have been proven as an effective educational tool for engaging and motivating students (Michael & Chen, 2006). However, more research is needed to sustain the suitability of these games to train users with cognitive impairments. This empirical study addresses the use of a Serious Game for training students with Intellectual Disabilities in traveling around the subway as a complement to traditional training. Fifty-one (51) adult people with Down Syndrome, mild cognitive disability or certain types of Autism Spectrum Disorder, all conditions classified as intellectual disabilities, played the learning game Downtown, A Subway Adventure which was designed ad-hoc considering their needs and cognitive skills. We used standards-based Game Learning Analytics techniques (i.e. Experience API –xAPI), to collect and analyze learning data both off-line and in near-real time while the users were playing the videogame. This article analyzes and assesses the evidence data collected using analytics during the game sessions, like time completing tasks, inactivity times or the number of correct/incorrect stations while traveling. Based on a multiple baseline design, the results validated both the game design and the tasks and activities proposed in Downtown as a supplementary tool to train skills in transportation. Differences between High-Functioning and Medium-Functioning users were found and explained in this paper, but the fact that almost all of the students completed at least one route without mistakes, the general improvement trough sessions and the low-mistake ratio are good indicators about the appropriateness of the game design.pre-print311 K

Mobile learning and games in special education

Information technology is now a ubiquitous presence in all educational settings as well as places in which people work. While most mainstream schools now rely heavily on this technology to support learning, special education was often at the forefront of its adoption even acting as exemplars for mainstream education (Lilley, 2004). Educational virtual environments had been developed in special schools and adult training centres when virtual reality was still a novel technology in education (Standen & Brown, 2004; 2005; 2006). Now no school or educational setting would be imagined without information technology and there have been some exciting developments since those early pioneering days. In this chapter we intend to cover three of those which we think are particularly pertinent for learners with special needs: serious games, mobile computing and the role of users in the development of the technology

E Is for Everyone: The Case for Inclusive Game Design

Part of the Volume on the Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and Learning In this chapter I examine the accessibility of today's games, or rather the lack of. Even common medical conditions such as arthritis, repetitive stress injuries, and diminished vision may prevent individuals from playing today's top software titles, not to speak of the barriers that these titles pose to the blind, deaf, and immobile. The clearest and most disheartening manifestation can be found when examining the special-needs sector. There we find children who cannot partake in their most coveted play activities, due to inconsiderate (and therefore inflexible) game design. I chose this sector to both define the problem and explore its solutions. Written from the perspective of a designer, the chapter first describes the lack-of-play and its residual impact as perceived in a school that caters to over 200 children with special needs. In an attempt to create the "ultimate-accessible" game, I demonstrate how games can be designed to be intrinsically accessible while retaining their original playability. Lastly, I show how normalization-of-play may improve upon the social, educational, and therapeutic aspects of the children's daily lives. Tying this fringe-case with the grander ecology of games, I discusses how better accessibility may encourage more people to enjoy games -- be they gamers, students, or patients

Creating wheelchair-controlled video games: challenges and opportunities when involving young people with mobility impairments and game design experts

Although participatory design (PD) is currently the most acceptable and respectful process we have for designing technology, recent discussions suggest that there may be two barriers to the successful application of PD to the design of digital games: First, the involvement of audiences with special needs can introduce new practical and ethical challenges to the design process. Second, the use of non-experts in game design roles has been criticised in that participants lack skills necessary to create games of appropriate quality. To explore how domain knowledge and user involvement influence game design, we present results from two projects that addressed the creation of movement-based wheelchair-controlled video games from different perspectives. The first project was carried out together with a local school that provides education for young people with special needs, where we invited students who use wheelchairs to take part in design sessions. The second project involved university students on a game development course, who do not use wheelchairs, taking on the role of expert designers. They were asked to design concepts for wheelchair-controlled games as part of a final-year course on game design. Our results show that concepts developed by both groups were generally suitable examples of wheelchair-controlled motion-based video games, but we observed differences regarding level of detail of game concepts, and ideas of disability. Additionally, our results show that the design exercise exposed vulnerabilities in both groups, outlining that the risk of practical and emotional vulnerability needs to be considered when working with the target audience as well as expert designers

EnCity:A serious game for empowering young people with Down's syndrome

Down’s syndrome (also known as trisomy 21) is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of a third copy of chromosome 21 in a baby’s cell. With education and proper care the quality of life of these people can be improved, and with the right support people with Down’s syndrome can have an active role in the community. In this paper we examine how a virtual reality serious game, the EnCity game, could engage and encourage young people with Down’s syndrome to have a more active involvement in the community. Players should complete mini games related to everyday tasks (e.g. preparing a meal, shopping in the supermarket, paying a bill, buying a ticket to visit a museum or gallery), and through these mini-games players will gain the appropriate training and encouragement for leading their lives without requiring help from their families or social services

What common design principles can be distilled out from literature in the field of technologies and learning difficulties that might inform the design of technologies within the EU funded ARCHES Project?

The focus of this research report is people who have diverse access needs associated with perception, memory, cognition and communication- those who are frequently ascribed the label of ‘learning difficulties’1 and the technologies that may help to enhance their access to and inclusion into cultural and heritage sites (including digital assets)

Reading Next: A Vision for Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy

Outlines fifteen key elements that educators can use to develop an effective adolescent literacy intervention program. Focuses on elements of interventions that are most promising for students that struggle with reading and writing after third grade