OVERVIEW
Inertia is a coop puzzle game designed especially for people with cognitive disabilities. The goal is to bring them together around a common activity, and incite them to communicate to solve the different puzzles and challenges. It was developed by a team of nine in four days.
GAME DESIGN
The main challenge was, of course, to design a game with its accessibility as a main focus. We constantly had to keep in mind the capabilities of our target. We decided to do a maze game in which two players could use alternative controllers to guide a ball toward a hole to get to the next level. One player can use sliders to physically tilt the screen, while the other player can press colored button to open corresponding doors, or turn a dial to rotate walls. The two players have to coordinate their movements to reach the end, leading to them communicating.
ACCESSIBILITY
The two types of controllers enable players to choose which challenge and which action they feel the most comfortable with. There is no time limit, so players are not pressured by a speed challenge and can take the time they need to complete each task. We paid attention to the amount and type of feedback: players need to clearly understand what is happening, without feeling startled and perceiving them as aggressions. We use contrasted colors suitable for colorblind people.
SKILLS DEVELOPED
- Designing a game with accessibility in mind
- Designing a puzzle game
- Designing alternative controllers
- Designing a puzzle game
- Designing alternative controllers
DESIGN DOCUMENTS
Level design documents