Hi guys,

So one of my main disabilities (cause you have to have a few, right, it just can't be one thing...) is neurological and then I also suffer from depression. I was hoping to link up with others on here who have neuro or cognitive issues that can interfere with their gaming.

For me...I lost my ability to speak (it's back after a tumor was removed) a while back and if you know me...you know I like to talk. I also had trouble typing (neuro stuff hits all over) so I couldn't use dictation software, couldn't type...not fun.

Anyway, I'm also personally interested in gamers with autism, as I have two nephews with it and I'm thinking some MMOs might be something good to help when they get a bit older to help them feel more comfortable in social situations in gaming that could transfer to being more comfortable in social situations outside of gaming.

So hope to get this part of the forum going!!

Michelle

Hello

My disablity is that I have muscular dystropy. On top of that I am dislexic. I also have pretty bad back problems do to soft bones. I fell one day and fractured my back and then I keep refracturing it just because the bones are soft. So some times I have crazy pain. I have arthritist and circulation problems too. So I guess you are right...its never just one thing LOL

The hardest things regarding my disablities and playing games are worrying that I am not fast enough when I am playing on a MMO. People can be pretty tough on you if they think you are a messing up the quest. Most of the time I just follow what the others are doing...and not read what we are suppose to be doing. 99% of the time it works out fine. But a few times I was following other who didn't know what they were doing and we all died LOL!

Another problem I have is names. Thats where my dislexia is at its worst. I make up words to cover the names I can't read. When I play with my brother or sister and they ask me where to go....well...its embarrassing to try to say something I know is not right. My sister is so smart...she has made some real funny names for the cities...and those are the names I use then she knows where we are going or where to meet.

Also chatting sucks for me in the text form. I've been looking at getting a mic/headset so that I can talk in games rather then getting stuck trying to type out answers. It will save a lot of embarrassments when I type something wrong or too slow.

Oh, boy, this is the perfect topic for me.
I have cerebral palsy, which is neurological, plus depression, plus I almost meet the diagnostic criteria for Asperger's Syndrome. I'm also the mom of a 14 year old gamer with Asperger's Syndrome.
MMO's are great for social skills coaching, since my husband and I both play. It gets interesting, however, to deal with the different relationships in the middle of a major depressive episode.
I look forward to discussing this topic further.

i have lots of problems.circulation problems,breathing bc of weak lungs,Cardiomyopathy (a big weak heart),SCOLIOSIS

i like watching my bf play online

Actually, we've done some work with what we call Cognitively Impaired (CI) user interfaces for games. Specifically, we've looked at autism, dyslexia, and reading level issues.

We designed one "serious" game for autistic children. Commercial issues put that one on hold.

We've considered producing versions of our story games (like the Inspector Cyndi in Newport mysteries) with lower reading levels. Technically very do-able, using our Internationalization hooks. But, again, commercial issues intervene.

Eleanor and I are particularly interested in using our GameVoice speech synthesis and something I call the GameEye (designed for the Visually Impaired, it magnifies and highlights text) to assist dyslexic players. (BTW. Did you know that ALL programmers are dyslexic? Well, all the ones I know.)

If anyone in AbleGamers land has any suggestions for what they would like to see in a CI-assisted game, please do let me know. Maybe if we get a critical mass of ideas Marketing will let me build something relevant.

John Bannick
Chief Technical Officer
7-128 Software

Certainly we are an under served group John so its nice to see you at least attempting at getting games made for us.

I definitely fit in this group and more so as time goes on it seems. My speech varies day to day. I think pretty clearly - but getting my mouth to speak can be a challenge. Words dont roll off my tongue so much as they just come out in a jumbled mess. Many times, I cant get words to come out at all. Very frustrating. Then somedays I can speak with pretty much no problem.

I have a terrible memory and I never used to be that way. Trying to do quests with me can be quite interesting. hehe Its a good thing a lot of mmos have reminders and such. Plus, I cant really have more than one thing going on at a time or I just cant focus at all. Im a mess! With all that stuff going on it is pretty depressing so you can mark me down for that too.

A big problem for us is stigma. Not many people want to admit to being disabled and they REALLY dont want to tell people they have CI. Ive been having an extended conversation with several of my friends for many months about the use of VOIP. There is no hiding your speech problems when you are expected to use VOIP or the like. You are forced to out yourself to people whom may not understand or may not be kind to you.

When you have speech problems using things like VOIP while gaming or on xbox live can be very difficult. Many guilds even require it, so its just another thing to worry about when you have CI and get into gaming. My friends are divided on how they feel about the use VOIP because there is certainly a need for it and it can be a good thing. It just feels like they are being forced to do something that they arent comfortable with. We have some very heated debates. Im just glad people are willing to talk about it, even when they dont agree. Thats progress at least.

Camilya -- Certain I now know about all the speech issues. It didn't come with the dyslexa but with the tumor last summer. Couple that with being in too much pain to type or write...I was locked in. I'm glad that's cooled down a lot!

With dyslexia, so many of us (the majority) can read. If we aren't "caught" early our brains that remain plastic (moldable) for way past our 20s), our brains have a way of rerouting so we learn...it might not be the world's most efficient way...but we learn. I know SO MANY PhDs (myself included) with dyslexia, which is so anti common stereotype, that we can't read, we can only hope to graduate high school...In many ways I'm glad that I never got that "help" because kids I knew that I grew up with in the 70s never finish high school because of lower expectations. I sure hope that's not happening still!!!

It's gonna sound like bragging but I don't mean it too...my IQ is very high but my comparative reading tests are not even though I can read quite well. It's all based on IQ...if you score in a subtype that's MUCH lower than it should be compared to the rest of your test...then there's an issue. Hell, Einstein was dyslexic! I just wanted to explain how you can be a high IQ scorer but still have a "learning disability" as they call it.

For me, puzzle games, music games, platformers, retro (ie, my age games...), exerise games, and space themed games are my favs. So are things that are psychological disturbing (not just simply shoot-em-ups) are my interest. I can't imagine listening to a game to get info, especially if it repeated it over and over. I like interactive tutorials and sandboxes much better for me personally. This might be where the ADD/ADHD comes in though....

Cool conversation we're having!!

Michelle (vrgrrl)

i forgot to put Sleep apnea

fortunately for me and I do not have many speech problems, which is saying something considering there is a hole in my neck (tracheostomy)

I completely understand what you mean about being exposed on VOIP, to me, I feel like my speech is always understandable but I find people say "what?" a lot when I talk. For me though it is mostly a volume problem.

I certainly hope one of the causes we go after our cognitive issues.

VoIP is a double edged sword for me. My CP affects my hands more than my speech, so it makes it easier for me to play with others if I can talk over ventrilo, especially since I bound my push-to-talk key to my 5th mouse button. On the other hand, my speech is affected, especially when I'm tired or *gasp* drinking. That doesn't even scratch the surface of the times when I can't think of the word I want to say. There are people in my guild who either don't like to talk or have technology challenges, and they find ways of working out in-battle communications without vent. The important thing while playing with others is to work together.

A side note: quite a few games have mods that help a lot with some of these issues. Using WoW as an example, the Questhelper mod is incredible. I puts all of the important places that you need to go (and things you need to do) right on your map, and shows you the most efficient route to go through to get them all done.

I know a lot of people with no cognitive issues who wouldn't play without mods like Questhelper, too. I know I've grown dependent on it. =P

Here's a game that might interest one of your nephews:

www.donjohnston.com/products/autism/faceland/index.html

Teaching about how to read faces, good production values, good reviews.

Our games are being used in a classes with kids who have autism, having great dialogue with teachers.

I'll keep an eye out for more...

It really depends on how Autism is manifesting within your nephews. Some MMOs can seem friendly and educational while others (that might at first appear useful because of the social aspect) can be overwhelming and anxiety inducing for the person on the spectrum.

For many people on the spectrum, it seems that the most enjoyable online games are the ones where:

*You have the ability to be both private and/or public
*You have the ability, if you wish, to restrict connections to a limited and controlled basis without being intruded upon
*There are not a huge amount of unnecessary sounds, lights, or complicated graphics, and the environment is overall "friendly" in appeal

[EDIT IN: I thought about something else. A laggy online game is probably not the best choice. Since the experience of time is different between real life and the game world already, a third "time problem" that simply annoys another player make a really bad experience for a person who has problems processing anyway. Different levels of visual processing disorders are common in ADD/ADHD and ASDs, but even the person in question might not realize they suffer from such a problem.]

In addition, for a game experience in general, it seems useful if they:

*Have the ability to either make or arrange things yourself
*The game is story based and character driven
*The game involves sequential memory skills

I raised my son mostly alone, with lots of intervention happening from outside sources. I was thinking today, wouldn't it have been wonderful to have a handheld device like a DS or iPhone, that let my son 'tell me' what he needed when his speech was impaired, or his commication was overwhelmed by emotion or seizure activity.

My son has Linux Gastaut syndrome and many many of the side affects. So I dealt with autistic behaviorisms, motor skill limitations, inability to talk periodically, anxiety, and trying to keep him stationary, so that I could get things done around the house. A device that provided options to show me what he wanted or needed, would have been very helpful, even as young as two.

Something that provided the ability for him to tell me how he felt, and the severities of that feeling, would have helped decide when he needed to see the doctor or not.

Minigames he could play on this device, would help him sit still and not be ZONED on the TV instead, possibly learning something. He has always loved vid games and controllers, though he rarely can 'control' what is actually happening in game. His cognitive learning and memory are all affected by the seizures and meds that he takes.

The eye controller wouldn't have worked for him as a game device.. but his eyes rolled a lot during his 1000s of seizures a day.. What if this device could help track seizures even when nobody is looking?? It could track the timelength, severity, direction and more. This could help doctors to see patterns in the illness.

My son is rare, we went thru so many meds, doctors, and I was as informed as I could be, so he is actually totally seizure free at 17. He is still on strong medications each day and he will always be around 5 years old emotionally and mentally, but he is wonderful, active, healthy, and keeps on trying.
I have so many more ideas on how these devices could be incorporated into home life, school, medical and childcare realms. I wish I had an outlet and someone to work with.

....this is so me, its just not funny. i play PerfectWorldInternational, and while in the lower levels its simple and relaxing-no real pressure, go at your own pace, once you get into the lv70s it gets tough, or so i find it. you *have* to do dungeon quests with others, who race through there, with the ease of long familiarity, while im struggling to just see and follow....wind up having to crank the gamma way up, to lighten up those dark places. or trying to deal with the incessant pressure to buy a certain pet that my class 'has' to have, or you literally dont get asked out to work with others-stupid thing is plug ugly version of a sumo wrestler, coloured bright yellow, and literally sits down and cries like a baby all the time. its name is "baby hercules", price tag in real money:$200. ingame money:15/20mil in coins, if you are lucky. so i putter along with pets that can be caught ingame,and dont get the big invites, and dont really care. but i feel the developers really need to keep in mind that a great number of players are disabled/low income, and cant afford expensive cash shop things that are necessary for the game....but they never have answered my emails on this....

anyway, i am going to post a link to this place, so that other gamers there can have a safe place to post....gimps and headcases are usually flamed if they mention any problems. thanks for having this site!