Game Accessibility for Children with Cognitive Disabilities : Comparing Gesture-based and Touch Interaction

Sammanfattning: The interest in video games has grown substantially over the years, transforming from a means of recreation to one of the most dominating fields in entertainment. However, a significant number of individuals face several obstacles when playing games due to disabilities. While efforts towards more accessible game experiences have increased, cognitive disabilities have been often neglected, partly because games targeting cognitive disabilities are some of the most difficult to design, since cognitive accessibility barriers can be present at any part of the game. In recent years, research in human-computer interaction has explored gesture-based technologies and interaction, especially in the context of games and virtual reality. Research on gesture-based interaction has concentrated on providing a new form of interaction for people with cognitive disabilities. Several studies have shown that gesture interaction may provide several benefits to individuals with cognitive disabilities, including increased cognitive, motor and social aptitudes. This study aims to explore the impact of gesture-based interaction on the. accessibility of video games for children with cognitive disabilities. Accessibility of gesture interaction is evaluated against touch interaction as the baseline, a comparison founded on previous studies that have argued for the high level of accessibility and universal availability of touchscreen devices. As such, a game prototype was custom designed and developed to support both types of interaction, gestures and touch. The game was presented to several users during an interaction study, where every user played the game with both methods of interaction. The game and outcome of the user interaction study were further discussed with field experts. This study contributes towards a better understanding of how gesture interaction impacts the accessibility in games for children with cognitive disabilities. This study concludes that there are certain drawbacks with gesture-based games, especially with regards to precision, accuracy, and ergonomics. As a result, the majority of users preferred the touch interaction method. Nevertheless, some users also considered the gesture game to be a fun experience. Further, discussion with experts produces several points of improvement to make gesture interaction more accessible. The findings of the study are a departure point for a deeper analysis of gestures and how they can be integrated into the gaming world.