CODE T

Democratize Fun and Delight with Blind Video Gamers

FAN FANG

Walei Sabry testing a T-controller prototype on Hades.

“Sending tactile messaging” T-1 is a console that offers experience beyond game, it records how the touch feels and recreates it for the receiver.

T-1 the speculative game console rendering.

T-controller form factor illustration.

The joy and community built through gaming should be accessible to all, regardless of visual ability. To bridge the gap in gaming accessibility, it is essential to advocate for and implement a design process that includes blind players from the outset to ensure that their needs and experiences shape the gaming landscape.

Fan Fang’s body of work delves into the complexities of accessibility in the gaming industry, focusing on the specific challenges blind gamers face. Through in-depth research and direct engagement with blind gamers, Fang identifies and addresses gaps in current gaming technologies and design practices. The project employs an inclusive design framework involving co-creation with blind players to ensure their needs are central to the design process. The outcome includes three prototypes:

T-Controller – Audio cues and guided paths are the primary accessibility features developed for blind players. While these features are useful for navigating gameplay, they often simplify the game experience and limit exploration. The T-Controller tackles this by translating on-screen information such as player location, enemy proximity, and UI elements into tactile feedback, thus providing a way for players to grasp the context in real time and experience the game in their way.
T Playground Framework – Gaming accessibility features are not yet an industry standard; thus, the inclusion of blind players within this community often meets with skepticism and is riddled with stereotypes. The T Playground game design framework promotes early and continuous collaboration between blind gamers and game developers. This model fosters genuine co-design opportunities by breaking down games into their fundamental interactions and sharing a prototype library for playtesting, making even the most complex games testable in early stages.
T-1 – Speculating a future where gaming is inherently inclusive, T-1 is a concept game console that centralizes the fun of touch instead of vision, imagining a world where games are designed for enjoyment by both sighted and visually impaired players.

FAN FANG

Fan Fang is a product designer who strives to shape how technology serves people through design. She explores solutions that extend beyond traditional screens, anchored by inclusive design principles. In addition to her work in product design, Fan is an independent game designer. Her games challenge virtual and real-world boundaries, offering players fun times and great stories.

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