ISSN 2280-7705 The Italian Journal www.gamejournal.it Associazione Culturale LUDICA of Game Studies Games as Art, Media, Entertainment Issue 07, 2018 – volume 1 JOURNAL (PEER-REVIEWED) DIGITAL GAMES FOR SPECIAL NEEDS; SPECIAL NEEDS FOR DIGITAL GAMES Edited by E. Gandolfi, K. Calabria, R.E. Ferdig Extase (ERE Informatique, 1991) – Graphics by Michel Rho. GAME JOURNAL – Peer-Reviewed Section Issue 07 – 2018 GAME Journal Games as Art, Media, Entertainment G|A|M|E is an international, peer-reviewed, free access games studies journal. G|A|M|E publishes one monographic issue per year A PROJECT BY SUPERVISING EDITORS Associazione Culturale LUDICA Antioco Floris (Università di Cagliari), Roy Menarini (Università di Bologna), Peppino Ortoleva (Università di Torino), Reggio Calabria IT & London UK Leonardo Quaresima (Università di Udine). HQ: Via Vittorio Veneto 33 89123 Reggio Calabria, Italy Offices: 10 Finians Close, EDITORS London UB10 9NW, UK Marco Benoît Carbone (Brunel University London), Giovanni Caruso (Università di Udine), Riccardo Fassone (Università di Torino), Gabriele Ferri (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences), Ivan Girina (Brunel University, London), Federico In association with filmforumfestival.it Giordano (Università per Stranieri di Perugia), Ilaria Mariani (Politecnico di Milano), Valentina Paggiarin (Hive Division), Paolo Ruffino (University of Lincoln), Mauro Salvador (Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia), Marco Teti (Università eCampus). WITH THE PATRONAGE OF Università di Cagliari ASSOCIATED EDITORS Dipartimento di Storia, Beni Culturali e Territorio Stefano Baschiera (Queen’s University, Belfast), Stefano Gualeni (University of Malta). 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Extase (ERE Informatique, 1991) – Graphics by Michel Rho PROOF-READING Kaybeth Calabria, Richard E. Ferdig CONTACT [email protected] www.gamejournal.it [email protected] www.facebook.com/gamejournal www.twitter.com/gameitjournal Issue 07 – 2018 Contents DIGITAL GAMES FOR SPECIAL NEEDS; SPECIAL NEEDS FOR DIGITAL GAMES Edited by E. Gandolfi, K. Calabria, R.E. Ferdig ISSUE 7, 2018: VOLUME 1 – PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL JOURNAL ESSAYS 5 E. Gandolfi, K. Calabria, R.E. Ferdig Introduction 11 M. Dalgleish There are no universal interfaces: how asymmetrical roles and asymmetrical controllers can increase access diversity 27 L. Imbriani, I. Mariani, M. Bertolo WaTa Fight! How situated multiplayer competitive gaming can facilitate the inclusion of low vision and blind players 41 T. Plothe The Whose View of Hue?: Disability adaptability for color blindness in the digital game Hue 53 K. Schrier Reducing Bias Through Gaming 75 B. Vercellone, J. Shelestak, Y. Dhaher, R. Clements Haptic Interfaces for Individuals with Visual Impairments Issue 07 – 2018 Journal –Peer Reviewed ENRICO GANDOLFI Research Center for Educational Introduction Technology, Kent State University [email protected] KAYBETH CALABRIA Franciscan University of Steubenville [email protected] & RICHARD E. FERDIG Research Center for Educational Technology, Kent State University [email protected] There are two disparate ways to describe the relationship between digital games and special needs (i.e., physical, cognitive and even socio-cultural conditions than require specific interventions in everyday life routines, learning activi- ties, and general accessibility). On one hand, it can be argued that the sector is becoming more inclusive. For instance, assistive technologies are gaining a foothold in the game industry with innovative hardware (e.g., the Microsoft Adaptive Controller), focused efforts of researchers and practitioners (e.g., the IGDA game accessibility interest group or the Games For Health conferences), increased customization interfaces and input systems (e.g., those offered in the games Overwatch or Uncharted 4), and focused funding initiatives (e.g., Able- Gamers Charity and Special Effect).Conversely, one could also argue that the concerns of individuals with special needs represent an overlooked area. For ex- ample, toxicity and disruptive behaviors across game audiences (e.g., “Gamer- gate” see Mortesen, 2016) represent additional sources of biases, games are not accessible to all players, and the literature about special needs and gaming is scarce (with the notable exceptions of Carr, 2014; Champlin, 2014; Ledder, 2015). Additional research is required to respond to these opposing perspective as well as to further impact policy and practice. There are least four reasons to justify such a claim. 1. Video games are at the forefront of technological adoption (Duggan, 2015). Given their ubiquity, they are ideal testing grounds for prob- lematizing current interactive affordances and patterns and developing new and more inclusive solutions. 2. Video games and interactive media shape society and culture (Ferdig, 2018). They convey representations, ideologies, biases, and view- points. Gamers and game developers take a stand that is not as neutral as it may appear at first glance (Gandolfi & Ferdig, 2018). Shedding light on how the medium deals with the issues faced by individuals with special needs becomes crucial for understanding and perhaps changing social perspectives (from reiterating stereotypes to suggest- ing alternative perspectives). Enrico Gandolfi Kaybeth Calabria & Richard E. Ferdig https://www.gamejournal.it/07_gandolfi-calabria-ferdig 5 Issue 07 – 2018 Introduction 3. The combination of technical and cultural perspectives can effectively support two leading approaches to individuals with special needs – i.e., the social model (Bickenbacha, Chatterji, Badley, & Üstünet al., 1999) and the cultural lens (Wolbring, 2008; Campbell, 2009). The former refers to efforts aimed at making society more inclusive (equal possibilities, no barriers), while the latter addresses prejudices and constructed ideas of normality and abnormality. By combining these two foci, analyzing digital entertainment may become an ideal bat- tleground for reflecting on disability