From Universal Design to Attainable Game Experiences

Video games constitute an important part of peoples’ lives, both from an entertainment perspective and for purposes that go beyond entertainment. For society to become inclusive, video games need to be inclusive. Inclusivity, accessibilityAccessibility, and usabilityUsability are central concepts of the design of product, services, and experiences. Historically, these terms have been used differently depending on the lens of which one views design. The design lenses of inclusivity all strive toward a more accessible society but differ in terms of the processes underlying how inclusivity is achieved. Viewing video games from a Universal DesignUniversal design lens moves us from a consideration of accessibilityAccessibility in light of disability, toward reaching attainable game experiencesAttainable game experience for people with various different conditionsConditions beyond disability. In Chap. 1 , we present the term Universal DesignUniversal design, how it emerged from interrelated design lenses and the key takeaways underlying the term, followed by a presentation of Universal DesignUniversal design in video games. Thereafter the discussion centers around the concept’s disability, accessibilityAccessibility, and usabilityUsability, and how these terms relate to Universal DesignUniversal design in general and Universal DesignUniversal design in video games specifically. Based on the contextualization of Universal DesignUniversal design in the video game space, we propose a definition for Universal DesignUniversal design in video games which centers around promoting an attainable gaming experience (AGE). The objective of the chapter is to provide an overview about historical and current considerations of accessibilityAccessibility and inclusivity to understand how you can approach inclusivity and a Universal DesignUniversal design approach in video games from a more nuanced perspective.