I’m really excited to announce that I am Co-Director of #GAConf, a one day conference dedicated to game accessibility. I’m also a speaker!
Press release below ❤
SAN FRANCISCO, January 17 th, 2017 – A packed schedule has been announced for GAConf, a new one-day conference dedicated to making games more accessible to gamers with disabilities. The event features talks and networking for all disciplines of the games industry, exploring recent and future advances in game accessibility.
GAConf is hosted by the IGDA’s Game Accessibility Special Interest Group, and takes place on February 27, 2017 at the Mission Bay Conference Centre, San Francisco, CA.
Attendees can expect a wide range of topics from all sectors of the industry – indie to AAA, academia to accessibility specialists – and leave with inspiration, new contacts, and practical tips to ensure any game can reach as many people as possible, so no player is unnecessarily excluded from everything that games have to offer.
“We’re at a tipping point right now where developers want to make games more accessible, so we’re holding an event to give them the resources to do so. They’ll have everything they need and access to like-minded individuals and industry experts.”
– Tara Voelker, Gaikai, event co-director
“Video games are becoming more complex all the time. Their stories are richer, their worlds more vivid and full of life. Truly, they are incredible. Nobody should be excluded from experiencing the things only video games can provide, and they want those chances. That is why game accessibility means so much.”
– Brandon Cole, blind gamer & advocate, speaker
Awareness of the importance of game accessibility has increased hugely in recent years, making 2017 a perfect opportunity to take stock and exchange experiences and expertise. Attendees will take home practical knowledge of how to ensure their vision can reach as wide a range of players as possible, allowing more of those players to benefit from the access to culture, recreation and socialising that gaming brings.
Sessions at GAConf include:
Accessibility & VR
– Bob De Schutter, Miami University
‘Evolve’: An Adventure in Accessibility Retro-Fitting
– Tara Voelker, Turtle Rock / Gaikai
Gaming Without Sight: We Wanna Play Too
– Brandon Cole, blind gamer & advocate
Friction That Fits – Unlocking Inclusive Fun
– Bryce Johnson, Xbox
Accessibility as a Micro-indie
– Giselle Rosman, Global Game Jam
– Henry Hoffman, Fiddlesticks
– AJ Ryan, AbleGamers
– Nicole Stark, Disparity Games
– Nathan Fouts, MommysBestGames
Uncharted 4 – A New Adventure in Video Game Accessibility
– Naughty Dog
Full schedule is available at www.GAConf.com/schedule .
Tara Voelker 