Webinar: Accessible hands-free input methods for a serious VR game
The Competence Center on Digital Accessibility at Stuttgart Media University organizes a free webinar on Friday June 11 at 15.00h Central European Time (that is 9.00am EDT in North America) on the topic of accessibility for VR games, in particular on hands-free input methods. Fiona Heilemann, who recently graduated from our Computer Science & Media masters program, will present the results of her master thesis.
Information on the webinar
- Date: Friday June 11 at 15.00h Central European Time (that is 9.00am EDT in North America)
- Meeting room: BigBlueButton Webinar Room of the Stuttgart Media University
- Note: No login required. For the sake of privacy, you may use a pseudonym instead of your real name.
- Upon entry, choose the option "listen only".
- Questions can be raised on the text chat.
- The webinar will be recorded, including text messages in the chat. A link to the recording will be posted on this page after the webinar.
- Registration: No registration required
- Fee: The webinar is free
- Contact: barrierefreiheit@hdm-stuttgart.de
- Accessibility: Live captioning upon request
Thesis Abstract
Video games have a significant influence on our time. However, lack of accessibility makes it
hard for disabled gamers to play most of them. Virtual reality offers new possibilities to include
people with disabilities and enable them to play games. Additionally, serious VR games provide
educational benefits, such as improved memory and engagement.
In this work, the accessibility problems in video games and VR applications are explored with
an emphasis on serious games. An overview of existing
guidelines is given. From this, a set of guidelines is derived that summarizes the relevant rules for
accessible VR games.
New ways to interact with VR environments come with both opportunities and challenges. This
work investigates the applicability of different hands-free input methods to play a VR game. Using a
serious game five focus and three activation methods were implemented exemplary with the Oculus
Go. The suitability of these methods was analyzed in a pre-study that excluded head movements
for controlling the game. The remaining input methods were evaluated in an explorative user study
in terms of operability and ease of use. In summary, all tested methods can be used to control
the game. The evaluation shows head-tracking as the preferred input method, while scanning,
eye-tracking and voice control were rated mediocre. In addition, the correlation between input
methods and different menu types was examined, but the influence turned out to be negligible.
Webinar Materials