On the 2nd of September Microsoft drew together some of the biggest advocates of accessible gaming to a round table event on Kinect, the Xbox 360 and accessibility.I couldn't make it (expense and timing) and nor could SpecialEffect. Boo. But, we did submit our thoughts and some questions for the day. These are now shared over at the Accessible GameBase, alongside Microsoft's answers. Feel free to draw your own conclusions. My personal thoughts...?Absolutely chuffed to bits that there is a small exponent within Microsoft pushing for greater accessibility in game development. Really happy that they ran this ground breaking round table. Don't think we'll see any massive improvements in accessibility this year, but who knows what's around the corner? Could be very exciting times ahead. Are Microsoft listening now? Will Sony and Nintendo follow suit? I'm hopeful.
EuroGamer was fantastic this year, but the 18+ section was just full of games where you shoot people in the face. That's not grown-up stuff. That's just nasty. I would have liked to have seen some of the themes that film directors like Ken Loach and David Cronenberg run with, find their way into an 18+ gaming area. Especially considering how far some things have come since Pong in 1972.
These aren't quite what I'm talking about (I'm thinking more grown-up themes with Shenmue quality), but if you're 18+, give these two a look. Auntie Pixelante's 2-player one-switch game Mind [rude word] and Tembac's two-button racer Symphorophilia. You have been warned!
Breathe in. Breathe out. pOnd is a one-switch game like no other. Your one-switch control is linked to inhaling (hold) and exhaling (release). It does require accurate timing, and some will find a latching switch helps. Later, JoyToKey's auto-fire could help those needing assistance in rapid-taps, without wishing to give too much away.
Many thanks to Gavin Philips for the tip-off.
Fun! I can listen to stuff like that all day long. Love it. See the "Hyperactive Machine" too for some similar interactive music shenanigans.
Not seen a new true one-switch game, no mouse required, for a while now. Olympics Squared from Lexaloffle puts that right. It's a cute-surreal collection of three sports events: Ski-jump, javelin and diving. Set your switch to left-click. Click pretty soon after your event starts to split into multple athletes, then again to jump/throw/dive. Once (if) you get the knack, this is quite a compelling little on-line game.
Thanks to RetroRemakes via Twitter for the link.
