Video Game Accessibility: The 1970's
0 Comments Published by OneSwitch.org.uk on Sunday, May 24, 2009 at 4:48 PM.
AbleGamers have uploaded my first article for them: A Brief History of Video Game Accessibility: The 1970's. Starting with 1971's Computer Space this article is a trek through the very origins of game accessibility. "Can you dig it?".Labels: articles, Historical
Muscle Marble Madness
0 Comments Published by OneSwitch.org.uk on Saturday, May 23, 2009 at 1:16 PM.
This photo shows an adapted SEGA Megadrive/Genesis controller rigged up to be played with muscle sensors for rehabilitation (and fun) in the mid 1990's. Marble Madness is a brilliant old Atari game originally designed to be played with a track-ball alone. Playing using muscle twitches must have been a tough way to play but better than no way to play. You can learn about the latest developments in game rehabilitation by visiting the Games for Health web-site. Their yearly conference is due soon in the USA for June the 11th and 12th with a Games Accessibility Day set for the 10th.
Labels: Game Therapy, Historical
1981: The Year Zero of Accessible Gaming
0 Comments Published by OneSwitch.org.uk on Wednesday, January 14, 2009 at 6:25 PM.
Some interesting information has turned up in TheGameReviews.com's "Truly Innovative Controllers For Disabled Gamers" article. Does it really cost $500,000 to "just to talk to [Microsoft] about creating a controller for their XBox platforms"? Frightening if so.There's some historical background within the article including a little interview with Ken Yankelevitz of KY Enterprises who started adapting and creating specialised controllers after a call from Atari in 1981.
1981 seems to be the year zero in many ways for accessible gaming possibly linked with the UN's "International Year of Disabled Persons". More on the history of accessible gaming here and here within the IGDA's GASIG Blog.
Via: Tera-Kirk Blog
Labels: Historical
1975: The First Commercial One Switch Game
0 Comments Published by OneSwitch.org.uk on Sunday, July 13, 2008 at 6:43 PM.
The first ever commercial one switch playable game is Atari's Steeplechase from 1975. Up to six players could crowd around the machine, using their single button to make their horse jump on coming hurdles. There's a short video-clip up on Google Video - don't expect too much obviously!It's a very basic game, but actually quite competitive fun. The nearest equivalent is a version written for the Atari VCS - which can be played on the superb 'Stella' emulator.
Labels: Historical, One Switch Games
In 1984 Atari were working on perhaps the first ever attempt at a commercial video game head-controller: The Mindlink. Left and Right movements could be controlled (to a degree) using left and right eye-brow muscles, with three games being linked to this device: Bionic Breakthrough, Mindmaze and Telepathy.
Atari found themselves ahead of their time, and ahead of available technology. Gamers complained of head-aches as they strained to play the games with any accuracy, leading to the technology being ditched.
YouTube Videos: MindLink, Telepathy.
Atari found themselves ahead of their time, and ahead of available technology. Gamers complained of head-aches as they strained to play the games with any accuracy, leading to the technology being ditched.
YouTube Videos: MindLink, Telepathy.
Labels: Accessible Controllers, brain control, Historical
Last Atari Arcade Game - Hidden Accessibility Feature
0 Comments Published by OneSwitch.org.uk on Monday, April 14, 2008 at 5:15 PM.
"I found this out by reading the manual for [Atari's] SF Rush 2049 one slow day at the arcade I managed. There is a section there where it states that the game has an option where players that don’t have the use of their feet can play where the game will do the gas for you. I checked it out and it’s an option that can be set by the operator - the only problem is that it takes a couple of seconds of not stepping on the gas for it to work (I tried it out of curiousity) but either way it lets someone enjoy the game [who might not be able to otherwise]."Via: ArcadeHeros.com
Labels: Historical
Accessible Gaming in 1981
0 Comments Published by OneSwitch.org.uk on Monday, March 10, 2008 at 7:57 PM.
I've just received a scan of "Adapting Audio/Video Games for Handicapped Learners" by Karen Hughes - dated November 1981. Fascinating reading for me - and there's an interesting parallel with the photo above with some recent work I've been undertaking.
The photo above is of a gamer using head-control to play Bowling on a 1977 RCA Studio II games console using a "head wand" to press down on the keypad controller. It seems that this plays in a very similar way to "Super Monkey Ball 2" which I've recently had set-up on a Nintendo Wii to play with head-control and/or switches. Nothing is new it seems!
Hopefully I'll be able to get some more up from this article in the near future, if I can get permission from Karen Hughes. Fantastic pioneering work.
Scan with thanks to: Michelle Hinn.
Labels: Head Tracker Games, Historical
No School Like The Old School?
0 Comments Published by OneSwitch.org.uk on Sunday, January 6, 2008 at 6:04 PM.
It's not something that any mainstream publisher does now, but in 1981 and 1982, Atari did. What, you may ask? Simply, they included a "special [accessibility] feature" option in their top-flight games. Not only this, but they marked the fact clearly on their game boxes and instructions. The disabled gamers in mind were very young kids with slower reactions and abilities. The features generally slowed game play down and made things a lot less hectic and weighted against you. These games were:Super Breakout, Defender, Missile Command, Pac-Man, Asteroids, Berzerk and Yars Revenge.
The IGDA's GASIG have been talking about a ratings system for some time now regarding accessibility features in games. To date only 7-128 Software and Deaf Gamers seem to have anything like this in place. It would be fantastic to see something like this take a hold, as age ratings have with PEGI. One day...
Via: OneSwitch.org.uk Blog
Labels: Historical
I've just received a copy of the first ever commercially released true one switch home computer game (to my knowledge). By true, I mean that no other controls are needed at all. The game is "Air Attack" and was released for the Commodore Pet in 1979 by Supersoft. I hope to make this available to one switch gamers shortly in my Emulators pages. Watch this space...With many thanks to Golan Klinger and Tom Luff of TPUG.
Labels: Historical, One Switch Games
OZNAKI Project
0 Comments Published by OneSwitch.org.uk on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 at 4:10 PM.
The OZNAKI Project was an educational robotics project inspired by the MIT LOGO Project. The project, which ran from 1975-84, used the very earliest micromputers, including the Australian Poly-88 (in 1976+), TRS-80 (1977+) and Apple II (1978 +).The Educational aim was the enhancement of mathematical abilities, however, the project evolved to cover enabling technology for disabled users. This included possibly the earliest use of accessibility switches with computers. Learn more on their pioneering "Computer Communication Access and Programming by Severely Disabled Project" at the OZNAKI Project web-page. Perhaps the year zero of switch accessible gaming?
Labels: Historical
