In the current cultural landscape, board games have emerged as a multifaceted phenomenon, embodying a unique intersection of social interaction, technological innovation, and nostalgia, thereby serving as both a reflective mirror of societal values and an agent for fostering interpersonal connections in an increasingly digitized world. Therefore, ensuring that everyone has access to this cultural manifestation is becoming increasingly crucial. This study investigates the inclusivity of the board game community, focusing on the alignment between players’ attitudes and practices, particularly regarding people with disabilities (PwD). Two hypotheses were tested: (1) positive correlations exist among four attitudinal dimensions – community inclusivity, attitudes toward PwD as full-right players, self-inclusion, and capacity to support inclusion – and (2) individuals who play in multiple contexts (e.g., family, professional, or community settings) report more positive inclusivity attitudes than those who play in individual contexts. A questionnaire was administered to 126 participants (63.49% cisgender men, 32.54% cisgender women; M age = 33.86) at LeiriaCon 2023, one of Portugal’s largest international board game conventions. The obtained results allow an overarching conclusion: while the board game community exhibits inclusive intentions, there is a need for greater alignment between attitudes and practices, as well as more accessible game designs. Future research should explore these dynamics in broader and more diverse settings to better understand and address the barriers to inclusivity in board gaming.

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Inclusion and Accessibility in Modern Board Gaming: Insights from the Portuguese Community on Attitudes, Practices, and Social Dynamics

  • Carla Sousa,
  • Cátia Casimiro,
  • João V. Léste,
  • Micael Sousa,
  • Joana Barros,
  • Pedro P. Neves,
  • Filipe Luz

摘要

In the current cultural landscape, board games have emerged as a multifaceted phenomenon, embodying a unique intersection of social interaction, technological innovation, and nostalgia, thereby serving as both a reflective mirror of societal values and an agent for fostering interpersonal connections in an increasingly digitized world. Therefore, ensuring that everyone has access to this cultural manifestation is becoming increasingly crucial. This study investigates the inclusivity of the board game community, focusing on the alignment between players’ attitudes and practices, particularly regarding people with disabilities (PwD). Two hypotheses were tested: (1) positive correlations exist among four attitudinal dimensions – community inclusivity, attitudes toward PwD as full-right players, self-inclusion, and capacity to support inclusion – and (2) individuals who play in multiple contexts (e.g., family, professional, or community settings) report more positive inclusivity attitudes than those who play in individual contexts. A questionnaire was administered to 126 participants (63.49% cisgender men, 32.54% cisgender women; M age = 33.86) at LeiriaCon 2023, one of Portugal’s largest international board game conventions. The obtained results allow an overarching conclusion: while the board game community exhibits inclusive intentions, there is a need for greater alignment between attitudes and practices, as well as more accessible game designs. Future research should explore these dynamics in broader and more diverse settings to better understand and address the barriers to inclusivity in board gaming.