New book to make board games more accessible

– Every single board game is a new puzzle. For example, because we fixed one way of using dice in a specific game, we cannot say that we solved the problem of inaccessible board games, as dice are used in a different way in another game.

It was by chance that Michael Heron became interested in accessibility. After studying Software Engineering, he wanted to get a doctorate in order to be able to teach at a university. He jumped into a doctoral program focused on making technology accessible to the elderly.

– What really made me understand that accessibility is an exciting topic was when my supervisor told me: “if you think it’s hard to write code, imagine how hard it is to write code that EVERYONE can use”.

We are all more or less in need of accessibility adaptations at different stages in life, says Michael Heron. And accessibility work usually benefits more people than we think.

– If you lower a high edge on a sidewalk, it benefits an elderly person with mobility problems, but it also benefits the cyclist and the parent with a pram. The audiobook was originally an accessible product for the visually impaired, now every second person listens to audiobooks. When these measures hit big, we stop seeing them as accessibility adaptations, we just see them as good design.

After his doctoral studies, Michael Heron discovered that his great hobby, board games, struggled with a number of accessibility issues. And no one researched it.

– There was this incredibly rich, detailed and interesting area that no one looked at. So then I thought I can do it.

Long way to go for accessible board games

That accessibility is a way to reach a wider audience, the television and computer game industry has understood, says Michael Heron, and there they have come a long way when it comes to creating adaptations. For board games, the situation is different.

– In a way, it is easier to make accessible computer games than accessible board games. The physical conditions don’t change that much in computer games, you have consoles, you have a screen and there are similar challenges regardless of the game. In board games, the way the player integrates with the product is different every time. Dice, figures and cards can have different sizes, designs and functions depending on the game, so every game is a new challenge.

This also means that the financial incentive for accessibility is greater in the computer game world, Michael Heron believes.

– If you have made an adaptation in a TV or computer game, it is a one-time cost, it does not increase if you sell more games. If the accessibility adaptation in board games is larger cards, then it is a cost that increases the more cards you produce.

Accessibility a matter of inclusion and community

In his new book Tabletop Game Accessibility: Meeple Centered Design, Michael Heron has compiled a series of evidence-based general guidelines for game creators who want to work with accessibility in board games. In the book, he describes, among other things, that accessibility is not only about making adaptations for people with, for example, impaired vision or mobility. Accessibility can also be about socioeconomics and representation, who can afford to buy the games, for example, or how the characters are designed.

– It is partly about it being physically possible for you to play the game, but also that you should feel that the game is for you, he says.

Basically, Michael Heron’s research is about not excluding people from things that are fun. Games have enormous cultural significance and children who do not have access to games in the same way as their friends are at risk of being bullied, says Michael Heron. He adds that games in general, and board games in particular, also have an ability to break down social barriers.

– For people like me who are incredibly introverted, shy and uncomfortable in social contexts, games provide an opportunity to socialize without social pressure. You don’t have to worry about saying something interesting, it’s enough that the game is interesting for you to connect with people.

Michael also has long experience of studying ethics teaching in professional contexts. That topic is covered in his second book, ‘A Case Study for Computer Ethics in Context: The Scandal in Academia’, which he co-authored with colleague and researcher Pauline Belford. Both books are available from CRC Press.