Accessibility Guidelines Gap Analysis for Game Development

Game Accessibility Guidelines and W3C WCAG2 a gap analysis Thomas Westin, Stockholm university, Sweden JaEun Jemma Ku, University of Illinois, USA J r me Dupire, CNAM, France Ian Hamilton, Independent accessibility specialist, UK

Background W3C Silver Taskforce aims to go beyond the web to apps, which may include games. Canvas and WebGL means that virtually every browser is a game runtime environment without plugins. However: Games are defined by strict rules. Games cannot be universally accessible within limits of game rules. /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

Game accessibility Game accessibility is to optimise usability within game rules for as many capabilities as possible CVAA update signed in 2010 for Advanced Communication Systems in games. Final waiver until Dec.31 2018. Game Accessibility Guidelines (GAG) http://gameaccessibilityguidelines.com/ Several other sets of guidelines exists as well. /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

The web perspective: Web to Apps. Games? Web WCAG 2 Mobile WCAG 2.1 Apps Silver TF Games GAG ? /Thomas Westin, Dep. Of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

The game perspective: Compliance? Game Mechanics (player interaction) Guidelines Game Rules WCAG Compliance A/AA/AAA /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

Problem Canvas / WebGL based games can only be optimised to follow WCAG2 within limits of game rules, and WCAG 2.0 does not include what is needed for accessible games but it unclear what is missing /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

Research questions 1. Which similarities and differences can be found between WCAG and GAG? 2. How may these differences inform the Silver Taskforce in the ongoing work to prepare next version of WCAG? 3. How could the optimisation for accessibility in web- based games be performed? WCAG GAG /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

Gap analysis Three steps: 1. WCAG-GAG side by side in spreadsheet 2. Evaluating whether each GAG was represented in WCAG 3. Follow-up of borderline cases This reduced 107 unique GAGs to 61. /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

Data collection part 1: Survey 61 GAGs were found not (or were still uncertain) to be in WCAG Exploratory survey approach to validate our analysis, 5 point Likert scale. 74 questions in total (61 GAGs, 6 demographics, 6 comments and 1 final question). 34 responses. /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

Survey questions: one example /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

Data collection part 2: Interviews Interviews with two recognized WCAG experts and one product manager overseeing accessibility testing, to further validate survey results. One pilot interview was made prior to the interviews with one of the survey respondents who contacted us /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

Results and analysis /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

WCAG experts interview question 1 Does WCAG require giving a clear indication that interactive elements are interactive? IP1: I don t think there are any design requirements about visual design indicating interactivity and further, thiswould be at a programmatic level, your assistive technology knows that this is interactive and can tell you. IP2: I don t think there are specifics about what interactive means in WCAG and further that a game is very different on how you might just interact with content or search on a browser . IP3: I actually don t believe WCAG 2.0 covers this anyway, but 2.1 might. . /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

WCAG experts interview question 2 If a printed manual is provided on how to use a website, does WCAG require the printed manual to be duplicated online in a screen-reader accessible format? IP2: they need to have access to it in an alternate form. And that to me is covered by WCAG. IP3: No because WCAG does not cover stuff that is not web and WCAG for ICT, it is Section 508 that requiresus to do that and not WCAG itself IP1: No, because printed material is out of the scope of WCAG, it only addresses web content. /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

WCAG experts interview question 3 Does WCAG require that subtitles/captions are or can be turned on before any sound is played? IP1: I don t think it specifically requires that one way or the other. IP2: Whether that happens atthe beginning, I don t think there is any specific WCAG that requires that. IP3: No it doesn t require that but you must be able to repeat it with them on . /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

WCAG experts interview question 4 Does WCAG require an option for non-essential elements to be bypassed, either by making a choice upfront or through a contextual skip option? IP2: to me the intent of the WCAG is to enable users to skip pass redundant information in the same way that any other user can do that. IP1: I would say definitely WCAG 2 does not address that at all IP3: I don t think it is covered by WCAG and also adds that: to enable people with different skill level to still manage to do the game that is absolutely awesome, and it s not just disabilities, it s like different skill levels so a kid might still be able to play it /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

Discussion WCAG 2.0 WCAG compliance A/AA/AAA GAG WCAG 2.1 /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

WCAG 2.1, Virtual Reality and Beyond A few issues are overlapped by WCAG 2.1 - Pointer cancellation ~ Sensitivity of controls - Orientation ~ Portrait and landscape - Pointer gestures ~ Inputs in quick succession in a limited period of time Virtual (or extended) reality IP1: The accessible platform architecture working group is looking at areas of work that need focus on, accessibility focus, and we have already identified web virtual reality as a major topic in gaming as I believe a subcategory of that. /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

Conclusions /Name Name, Institution or similar 20/03/2025

RQ1: Main differences Diff. WCAG GAG Silver TF Problems 1 Web only Games only Maintenance 2 User agents, AT, programmatic determined More explicit and specific Maintenance 3 Levels: A/AA/AAA Basic / Intermediate / Advanced Conformance 4 Aims for universal accessibility Accessibility limited by game rules Conformance 5 Conformance oriented Best practice oriented Conformance /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

RQ2: Value of Gap Analysis to W3C Silver Taskforce IP1 said: I believe a project like this will be an excellent first step to gather requirements. , and One of the goals of Silver and the reason we have dropped web content from the name of Silver is that we want a broader scope . /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

RQ3: Optimising Accessibility for Web Based Games 1. For web content that is not a game: - use WCAG 2. For web content that is a game - use game accessibility guidelines The two approaches can be combined to create an accessible user experience of both the web page and the game. /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

Future research Next step could be to evaluate more thoroughly which GAGs do not apply outside of games or to conduct several case studies where the design of Canvas and WebGL based games are discussed in-depth involving PwD with experience of WCAG who preferably also have gaming experience. More about game accessibility: Game Accessibility Conference Europe Paris, October 22 gaconf.com /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025

Thanks for listening! Questions? thomasw@dsv.su.se /Thomas Westin, Dep. of Computer and Systems Sciences 20/03/2025