Press A for Assistance: Making Games Accessible with AI
About the talk
As video games continue to evolve in complexity and scope, accessibility, approachability, and learnability are no longer niche considerations—they’re essential. In this talk, we will explore the differences between accessibility, approachability, and learnability, as well as the overlap between them. We will discuss the difficulties in developing accessible, approachable, and learnable games, why the industry lacks clear benchmarks, and the best resources and solutions for game developers. We’ll dive into some examples of modern games, the challenges they pose to players, and the current assistive techniques used in industry. Then, we’ll see how various AI techniques (including Utility AI, Goal-Oriented Action Planning, and Large Language Models) can dynamically assist players without compromising gameplay. This presentation will not only explain the concepts of accessibility, approachability, and learnability, but encourage creative thinking about how emerging technologies can make games more inclusive, intuitive, and fun for everyone.
Takeaway
– What accessibility, approachability, and learnability are, and how they intersect.
– How putting careful thought and consideration into accessibility, approachability, and learnability benefits the community, game, and studio.
– Why there is a lack of industry standards and research in academia.
– The limitations of current strategies/implementations of accessibility, approachability, and learnability, both in terms of assistance, and difficulties of development.
– How we can implement traditional AI – into games to increase accessibility, approachability, and learnability in games.
Experience level needed: Beginner, Intermediate