Social aspects in game accessibility research: a literature review

Abstract

Games and game-based applications are part of entertainment, learning,<br/>socialization, and many other daily life activities. They have become a key<br/>part of the social fabric of our societies, nonetheless, social aspects in games<br/>and game-based applications have received little attention, meaning that these<br/>game technologies often remain inaccessible to people with disabilities,<br/>especially within social use contexts. This study is a literature review of<br/>research on game accessibility (2016 -2020 inclusive) to investigate social<br/>aspects in game accessibility literature, The findings indicate the scarcity of<br/>research primarily investigating social themes. Individuals with disabilities<br/>differ in their social accessibility challenges and needs based on the type of<br/>disability they have. The lack of conscious research on social aspects of game<br/>accessibility threatens to further the exclusion of people with disabilities from<br/>gaming and related activities and this study provides directions for further<br/>research of social themes.