New guidebook aims to make tabletop games more accessible

"Every single tabletop game is a new puzzle and presents a unique challenge in accessibility. We can't say that we have solved the accessibility of tabletop games because we have solved how to use dice in one game. The next game will have a completely new way of using dice", says Michael Heron.

Heron's interest in accessibility started quite coincidentally. After studying Software Engineering, he wanted to teach at university, which required a doctoral degree. So, he joined a PhD program focused on making technology accessible for the elderly.

"What made me realize that accessibility is an exciting topic was my supervisor telling me: 'if you think writing code is hard, imagine how difficult it is to write code that everyone can use'," he recalls.

According to Michael Heron, we are all, to different extent, in need of accessibility adjustments at different points in our life. And often, work in accessibility benefits more people than we initially think.

"Lowering a high curb on a sidewalk will perhaps benefit an older person with walking difficulties, but it also benefits the cyclist or the parent with a stroller. Audiobooks were originally an accessibility-adapted product for the visually impaired, but now we all listen to audiobooks. When these measures become widespread, we stop seeing them as accessibility adjustments; we see them just as good design."

After completing his PhD, Michael Heron discovered that his major hobby, tabletop games, struggled with numerous accessibility issues, and no one was researching it.

"There was this incredibly rich, detailed, and interesting area that no one was looking at. So, I thought, maybe I could do that".

Long way to go for accessible tabletop games

While the video game industry has made strides in accessibility in recent years, recognising its potential to reach a broader audience, tabletop games lag behind. According to Michael Heron this could be due to the complexity of creating accessible tabletop games.

"In video games the physical conditions don't change very much; you have consoles, you have a screen, and the challenges are similar regardless of the game. In tabletop games, the way the player interacts with the product varies each time. Dice, figures, and cards can vary in size, design, and function depending on the game, so each game presents a new challenge."

This also means that the economic incentive for accessibility is greater in the video game industry, Michael Heron believes.

"If you've made an adaption in a video game, it's a one-time cost that doesn't increase if you sell more games. If the accessibility adaption in board games is larger cards, it's a cost that increases the more cards you produce."

Accessibility: A matter of inclusion and community

In his new book, Tabletop Game Accessibility: Meeple Centred Design, Michael Heron has collected evidence-based general guidelines for game designers interested in creating accessible games. In the book, he describes how accessibility in games is not just about making adjustments for people with, for example, impaired vision or mobility. Accessibility could also involve socioeconomic factors and representation, who can afford to buy the games for example, or how characters are designed.

"It's both about making it physically possible to play the game, but also about you feeling that the game is for you", he says.

At its core, Michael Heron's research is about not excluding people from things that are fun. Games have a huge cultural significance, and children who do not have access to games in the same way as their peers are often at risk of being bullied, Heron argues. He adds that games in general, and tabletop games in particular, have the ability to break down social barriers.

"For people like me who are incredibly introverted, shy, and not comfortable in social settings, games provide an opportunity to socialize without social pressure. You don't have to worry about saying something interesting, it's enough that the game is interesting for you to connect with people".

Michael also has a long-standing interest in how we teach ethics in professional contexts. His second book, 'A Case Study for Computer Ethics in Context: The Scandal in Academia' is on that topic, and was co-authored with fellow CSE lecturer Pauline Belford.  Both books are available now from CRC Press.

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