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NEWS > GAMES > MICROSOFT URGING WHEELCHAIR BOUND PLAYERS TO GET UP AND “KINECT”
MICROSOFT URGING WHEELCHAIR BOUND PLAYERS TO GET UP AND “KINECT”
January 6 2011
Redmond, WA – Videogames are an ever evolving medium, a form of entertainment that seems to undergo dramatic changes every few years by fundamentally altering the way in which it works and how its audience interacts with the content. Whether it
has been more complex controllers, more detailed graphics, or more recently the addition of motion controls, the industry has, unlike every other form of entertainment, been in state of constant evolution and change with no one generation playing the same way as the previous.
That change has never been more evident than in the current crop of machines. The introduction of the Wii and the fundamental shift towards motion gaming has completely altered the landscape and the business of gaming. With all three major platforms now boasting motion sensitive controls, it has become clear that once again the medium has shifted and may never be the same. However, like all changes, not everyone has embraced motion. Hardcore gamers have, for the most part, stayed away from the limited selection of titles available for the new systems leaving many to wonder what the future may in fact hold. Some people though aren’t having a problem with the content of the software but rather the hardware itself which has limited play for people of darker skin or those who are unwilling or unable to stand to play games.
“The initial wave of Kinect games were designed to be very active to take advantage of the sensor’s ability to track full-body motion, and as a result, may be difficult or simply not possible to play in a seated position,” said Microsoft in a statement. “We’re working to improve Kinect’s skeletal tracking technology in ways that will help developers create games that incorporate seated play. We understand that there are a number of customers or are unable or unwilling to stand to play games and we are working to affect a solution for those players. Making gaming accessible for everyone is our primary goal.”
So far, the technology does not recognize any seated players, including people in wheelchairs.
“It is an absolute disgrace that a company as large as Microsoft would allow a product like this to reach market without a thought towards wheelchair accessibility. We have made so many strides in recent years to advance the cause of disabled people across the country and across the world and to be faced with this type of situation is totally unacceptable,” said a spokesperson for the AAPD. “This is not the kind of world which we are trying to create. The goal of every company should always be to include as many people as possible. Not only is this better for the betterment of people it is also the best business decision. All people, whether disabled or just lazy, should be able to play Kinect from the seated position and Microsoft needs to ensure this happens sooner rather than later.”
Early reports indicated that Kinect had similar trouble recognizing people with dark skin but that appears to have been resolved.
“Disability aside, Microsoft should have recognized that the vast majority of their players were not going to want to get up off the couch to play a game. While Kinect is certainly designed to appeal to a whole new audience, there is no sense alienating everyone else in the process. It really is just poor business sense,” said Scrape TV Gaming analyst Graeme Hawthorne. “The reality is that very few people are going to want to stand and play all the time. In the case of disabled people that really isn’t going to happen, no unless Microsoft figures out a way to fix paralysis. I mean that would be a good thing but from a business perspective it would probably just make more sense to get it to recognize people while they are seated, then at least you could get the regular gamers involved as well.”
Microsoft officials stated that they currently have no plans to solve spinal cord injuries. They also have no plans to adapt Kinect for the blind.
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Douglas Havermore, Games Correspondent
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