A participatory framework to support inclusive multi-playing for gamers in disadvantaged conditions

As a consequence of the increasing mobile and multimodal devices diffusion, on-line gaming is more and more often considered as a dimension of an anytime, anywhere and anyone spaces. Providing accessible games is one of game industry and academic research purposes, in order to comply with the anyone issue in spite of disability. Such an issue assumes a crucial aspect when people with disabilities participate in a multi-player game. Players with disabilities access the game by using assistive technologies with alternative interfaces, which require more operational time than the standard ones, so as to become a new barrier to the participation. Gamers with mobile devices have to face a similar situation, by playing over unreliable networks, promoting the anywhere issue. Typically, small mobile devices impose the use of unconventional interfaces and such a context can compromise the chance of each player to justly take part in the game. We have developed a system that takes advantage of intelligent agents in supporting inclusive playability, even if disadvantaged gaming conditions occur.