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View, browse and sort the ever-growing list of sessions by day, time, pass type, topic, and format. With this Session Viewer, you can view session and speaker details for Game Developers Conference 2024.

You will be able to build your schedule with the GDC Mobile App. The GDC 2024 app will be available for download in Apple Apps and Google Play late February 2024.

Sessions do fill up and seating is first come, first serve, so arrive early to sessions that you would like to attend. Adding a session to your schedule does not guarantee you a seat.

Empower Your Players: How to Level-Up Difficulty Modes into Accessibility

Steven Weitz  (Director of Professional Development, The AbleGamers Charity)

Location: Room 2014, West Hall

Date: Wednesday, March 20

Time: 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass - Get your pass now!

Topic: Design

Format: Session

Vault Recording: Video

Audience Level: All

"Does X game need an easy mode?" This question, bandied about on social media any time a particularly challenging game is released, is often followed by the response, "What X game needs is to be more accessible!" Confusion results: after all, many games include as a key feature for accessibility, "A variety of difficulty modes." Aren't difficulty modes the same as accessibility options? This talk shows how accessibility in gameplay challenge is much more nuanced than traditional difficulty modes allow, and gives attendees both a better understanding of how to think about accessibility in challenge and some solutions for using difficulty modes as a starting point to create more accessible gameplay experiences.

Takeaway

Attendees will learn how the spectrum of capabilities of players with disabilities leads to a wide variety of needs that require individualized settings in gameplay challenge. With this knowledge, attendees will be able to draw upon existing gameplay elements to create more granular accessibility in their existing or future games.

Intended Audience

Anyone who is thinking about gameplay challenge will benefit from this session, and those who want to know how gameplay considerations can expand the potential audience for their games will find this talk most useful.



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