“INDEX” in “Ability Machines”
INDEX
Page locators in italics refer to figures and tables
ability: defined by access, 44, 70; expanded conceptions of, 17–18; interactivity as, 20; as key feature of gameplay, 131; spectrum of, 27–28, 42, 44, 149; testing of through video games, 1–4, 48, 63, 180–81, 184
ability machines, games as, 1, 4, 15–21, 30, 37; and disability identity, 70–71, 73, 78; and game design, 41, 54, 64; and gaming news, 17, 181–82; and identities, 78; and interactivity, 131–32; labor absorbed by, 89; “machine” as term, 15–16; and mental health/illness, 88, 103, 154, 175; and reimagining disability, 177–78, 181–82, 187–89; reparative games as, 109–10, 122–24
“able-bodied” people, 9, 28, 68, 72, 79
accessibility: ability defined by, 44, 70; auditory, 56–57; benefits to everyone, 8, 33, 43–44, 51, 59–60; best practices and standards, 34, 43, 54–55, 62–64; debates over, 48–49; discourses on, 35–41; features, accessible, 46, 47, 49; ground floor approach, 50, 54, 62–64, 178, 179–80, 183–85; history and paradigms, 32–35; non-disabled gamers’ understanding of, 28; patches after launch, 40; playtesting, 43, 152–53; system-level features, 47, 60; universal access, 33–34, 41, 49, 51, 62. See also controllers/input devices; visual accessibility and clarity
accessibility overlay, 45–46
accessibility tools, 5–7
Accessible Player Experiences (APX) system, 29, 34
Adaptive Controller (Microsoft), 36
addiction to gaming, alarmist notions of, 15, 98
advocacy, 42, 177; “awareness” as, 18–19, 34, 39–40, 83–84, 97–98; in gaming articles, 18, 36, 39–40; and gaming industry, 20; punished by self-congratulation, 38
AFK rooms (“away-from-keyboard”), 83
Against Flow (Soderman), 144
algorithms, 89, 93, 102, 119, 179
Amelia Is Hungry (Anderson, 2021), 184, 185
American Psychological Association, 163
American Sign Language (ASL), 139–40
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, 33
America the Beautiful (film), 52
Amofah, Desmond (Etika), 92
Amy (film), 52
Anable, Aubrey, 114
Anner, Zach, 146
Anthropy, Anna, 108
antislavery activists, 114
Apex Legends’s (Respawn Entertainment, 2019), 57, 58, 60
art, 105–7
art assets (visual elements, sound effects, and music), 121–22
The Art of Game Design (Schell), 16
Astral Chain’s (PlatinumGames, 2019), 61
audiovisual design, 56–57, 132–35, 157–66, 171–75, 188
Avatar (movie), 14
“awareness,” as advocacy, 18–19, 34, 39–40, 83–84, 97–98
Awesome Games Done Quick (2017), 71
Bahr, Logan, 129–30
Barlet, Mark, 27
Batman: Arkham Asylum (Rocksteady Studios, 2009), 156
Bednarek, Monika, 35
Bergstrom, Kelly, 15
Berlant, Lauren, 107
Bernstein, Byron (Reckful), 92
best practices and standards, 34, 43, 54–55, 62–64
Bezos, Jeff, 90
“B games,” 144
Blazkowicz, William “B.J.” (Wolfenstein II), 142–43
Blind (Tiny Bull Studios, 2018), 140–42, 148–49
blindness and visual disabilities: colorblindness, 40, 58–59, 130, 184; players with, 58–59, 62, 141. See also visual accessibility and clarity
Blink, 75–78
Blizzard, 27
Boatner, Edmund, 51
Bobby, TheBlacktastic, 68
bodies: and abilities, 1; “able-bodied” people, 9, 28, 68, 72, 79; corporeal fascination with disabled, 39; disabled as anomalies, 39, 42; and discipline, 10; reimagining through video games, 177–89. See also “normal,” concept of
Bogost, Ian, 173
Borderlands 3 (Gearbox Software, 2019), 57, 60
Bourdieu, Pierre, 73
Bungie, 47
burnout and crunch time, 19–20, 84, 86–87, 93–95, 178–79; “burnout” as industry term for mental illness, 86, 95, 100; in gaming journalism, 98–99. See also mental illness
button remapping, 42, 44, 47, 54; aim assist and aim snapping, 60; buttons, toggling, 60, 61
Cadence of Hyrule (Brace Yourself Games, 2019), 62
camera, 38, 157, 158; movement sensitivity, 60; placement, 142–43
Candy Crush Saga (King, 2012), 133
Caple, Helen, 35
Caption Center (WGBH), 53
Captioned Films Act of 1958, 52
Captioned Films for the Deaf (CFD), 51–52, 53
Captioned Films/Videos organization, 53
Captioning Key: Guidelines and Preferred Techniques, 53
captions. See subtitles (captions)
Celeste (Extremely OK Games, 2018), 1–3, 3, 40–41, 49, 62, 155
Cerebral Palsy Foundation, 146
characters with disabilities, 1–3, 3, 35–36, 36; nonplayable, 131, 135, 135, 173; and portrayals of disability, 135–41; with PTSD, 110, 154; tropes of mental illness, 110, 140–41, 169–73; wheelchair users, 129, 141–42, 145
characters with mental illnesses, 97, 154–56; Lewis Finch, 158–60, 159, 160, 174; Madeline (Celeste), 1–3, 3
Child, Julia, 52
Cho Jang-mi (BJ Jammi), 92
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 185–86, 186
civil rights movement, 32
CNN, 181
cocreation, 131
colorblindness, 40, 58–59, 130, 184
Communications and Video Accessibility Act, 34
community, 116–18, 179–80; accessibility, 45; crafting, 107; deaf and hard of hearing, 51, 62; disability, 28; feeling of responsibility for, 85; “normal,” 39; speedrunning, 67–68; through gaming, 20, 77
Community (TV show), 73
compassion, 107
Compassion (ed. Berlant), 107
compulsive gaming diagnosis, 15
condescension, 39
content creators, 88, 92, 99, 110. See also speedrunning; streaming
Control (Remedy Games, 2019), 57
controllers/input devices, 3, 18, 28–29, 81; abstract actions, 133; button remapping, 42, 44, 47–48, 60; game mechanics prioritized by, 137; in gaming articles, 36, 36, 38, 40; input remapping, 60, 63, 64, 183, 185; Joust, 77; keyboard and mouse combinations, 160–61, 185; to portray mental illness, 158–60, 171–72, 174; QuadStick, 76, 78; Xbox One, 77
conventions, 27, 46; AFK rooms (“away-from-keyboard”), 83; mental health advocacy at, 97–98
conversation metaphor, 132–33, 134
conversations, starting, 188–89
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve, 2012), 39, 77
Crackdown 3 (Sumo Digital, 2019), 57, 60
crafting, 107
Craic Dealer (Ó Briain), 3
Craven, Courtney, 45
Crawford, Chris, 132
critique, 20, 36; of mental illness portrayals, 96–97, 100; undermined by self-congratulation, 38, 42
crunch time. See burnout and crunch time
culture, 178; cultural paradigm, 34–35, 54, 62; and discourse, 31; popular, 1, 9. See also gaming culture
Cuphead (Studio MDHR, 2017), 2, 47
Curtain (Laura McGee, 2014), 115
Daredevil (superhero), 141
dark modes, 45–46
Dark Souls (FromSoftware, 2011), 2
Dave Matthews Band, 73
Davis, Lennard, 12
Dawn of War 3 (Relic Entertainment, 2017), 41
Days Gone (Bend Studio, 2019), 60
d/Deaf and hard of hearing people: and ASL in Moss, 139–40; auditory accessibility, 56–57; community, 51, 62; gamers, 47, 54; movies inaccessible to, 51, 53–54
Death Stranding (Kojima Productions, 2019), 57, 59, 60
Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990, 53
depersonalization, 106, 111–13, 122
depression, 111, 150–52. See also Depression Quest (The Quinnspiracy, 2013); What Remains of Edith Finch (Giant Sparrow, 2017)
Depression Quest (The Quinnspiracy, 2013), 108, 114, 155
depression-themed games, 111
design logic, 41, 42, 69, 121, 122
design paradigm, 41, 54–55, 62–63
Devil May Cry 5 (Capcom, 2019), 57, 60, 136–37
difficulty, 49, 50; “assist modes,” 2, 3, 49, 62; “intended” level for play, 62, 63; variable, 63, 64, 183–85
Diogenes (Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy), 144–46, 145
disability: conversations about, 188–89; differentiated from mental illness, 12–13; discourses on, 35–41; expectations about, 7–8; formula for describing, 5–9; horror tropes of, 3, 12, 110, 141, 168–73, 170; how video games matter to, 14–15; meaning of changed through games, 70; motor disabilities, 145–46; as part of human spectrum, 27–28, 42, 44, 149; physical aspect of, 5–6, 179; physical side of, 3–6, 179; psychic dimension to, 79; psychosocial, 105–7, 156; as publicity stunt, 139–41; similarities with mental illnesses, 12–13; social model of, 6–7, 9, 43; stereotypes and stigmatization, 7, 32–33, 156–57; values about, 16, 168, 173, 177–79, 178, 181–82. See also gamers with disabilities; mental illness
disability, portrayals of: combat/game mechanics, 136–41; in entertainment media, 5, 7, 97–98; in gaming journalism, 35, 36, 38; innovations and clichés, 147–49; real-life consequences of, 12, 110; reimagining disability in game depictions, 131–49; through interactivity, 20–21, 135–39. See also interactivity
disability media studies, 8–9
discipline, 10–11
Discipline and Punish (Foucault), 10
Disco Elysium (ZA/UM, 2019), 58
discomfort meter, 112–13, 147–48, 187–88
discourses, 7; on accessibility and disability, 35–41; of awareness as advocacy, 39–40; discourse analysis, 35; of fetishization, 38–39, 42; in gaming journalism, 19–20, 31, 34–42, 95–100; and mental health, 95–100; meta themes of, 37–42; of self-congratulation, 18, 37–38
Doki Doki Literature Club! (DDLC, Team Salvato, 2017), 110, 169, 169–73, 170
D.Personal (Anderson, 2018), 41, 110–13, 112, 113, 116–23, 117, 122, 175, 179
Duck Hunt (Nintendo R&D1 and Intelligent Systems, 1984), 80
Dukic, Kristina (Kika), 92
Dunlap, Kelli, 83–87, 102, 155
dys4ia (Anthropy and Ryerson, 2012), 108, 113, 114, 123
Eagle Island (Sickhead Games and Pixelnicks, 2019), 58, 59–60
Eakins, Casey, 129–30
“easy modes,” 2
Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, 33
Ellcessor, Elizabeth, 8–9
Ellis, Lindsay, 91
emotional labor, and streaming, 89–93, 100–101, 178–79
empathy: cognitive and emotional, 115; corporeal, 161; difference highlighted, 114–15, 122; parallel and reactive, 115
empathy games, 1–3, 3, 20, 107; creator-focused approach, 116; as “empathy tourism,” 114, 123; as form of peer support, 118; as genre, 113–14; as misnamed and misused, 123; self-criticism by creators, 108–9, 114; teaching through, 116; unintended consequences of, 114–15, 123. See also Celeste (Extremely OK Games, 2018)
The Empire Strikes Back (movie), 147
encouraging tone, 2–3
escapism, 161
Fallout 3 (Bethesda Game Studios, 2008), 81
Far Cry New Dawn (Ubisoft Montréal, 2019), 56, 57, 59
Federal Communications Commission (FCC), 52
fetishization of gamers with disabilities, 18–19, 38–39, 42, 177–78, 181–82
FIFA 20 (EA Vancouver and EA Romania, 2019), 57
Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix, 2010), 36
Finch, Edith (What Remains of Edith Finch), 158
Finch, Lewis (What Remains of Edith Finch), 158–60, 159, 160, 174
Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Intelligent Systems and Koei Tecmo, 2019), 58
first-person role-playing games, 158–59
first-person shooter games, 67, 141–42
Force 10 from Navarone (captioned home video), 52
Foucault, Michel, 9–11
Fox News, 181
Freedman, Eric, 121
The French Chef (TV series), 52
Frieden, Lex, 34
frustration, 144, 146, 147, 187–88
GaConf, 46
Gallina, Oliver, 150–53
“game,” as term, 183
Game Awards, 55
Game Center (American University), 83
game-critical information, 59, 63–64, 141
game design, 1, 3–4, 18–19, 48–64; accessibility in design logic, 41, 42, 69, 121, 122; accessibility positions and teams, 46, 69, 77, 178; and accessibility resources, 45–47; audiovisual, 56–57, 132–35, 157–66, 171–75, 188; auditory accessibility, 56–57; communication between developers and players with disabilities, 42–43, 46; difficulty settings, 46, 48, 61–62, 183–85; in gaming articles, 36, 36, 38; indie developers and games, 46, 64, 99, 108–9, 154, 162; mistakes in, 46–47, 50, 57, 61, 140–43; motor accessibility, 60, 61; onboarding and tutorials, 47; “procedural rhetoric,” 173; programming and art assets, 121–22; prototype phase, 43, 117, 117, 152–53, 184–85; universally accessible games, 34; visual accessibility, 57–60. See also game design process; gaming industry; independent (indie) developers and games; reparative game design (RGD)
game design process, 108–25; healing in, 109, 120–21; hurt in, 120–22; and self-reflection, 108; voice, 119–20, 186–87. See also game design; independent (indie) developers and games; reparative game design (RGD)
Game Developers Conference (GDC), 27
Gamemaker, 119
Game Maker’s Toolkit (YouTube channel), 49, 55, 56
game mechanics, 136–41; “echolocation,” 141, 149; mental illness portrayed as a gift in, 163–65, 168; prosthetic weapons, 136–39, 147; recommendations for, 175. See also interactivity
“gamer,” as term, 72–73
Gamers Gift, 36
gamers with disabilities: communication with developers, 42–43, 46, 166; d/Deaf and hard of hearing people, 47, 54; fetishization of, 18–19, 38–39, 42, 177–78, 181–82; interaction of gamer and disability identities, 78–81; one-handed play, 60, 71, 80, 81; photographs of, 37, 38; visual disabilities, players with, 58–59, 141
games, history of, 84
games, video: importance of to disability, 14–15; narrative elements of, 139–40, 154–55, 157, 168, 175, 180; nuanced relationship to disability, 3–4; as vital to understanding our bodies and abilities, 4, 16
Games and Culture journal, 55
Games Done Quick (GDQ) events, 67, 68, 71
game studies research, 14–15, 106
“gaming capital,” 73–76, 79, 80
gaming culture, 16, 18–19, 106; changes in, 27, 31–32; debate about “easy mode,” 64; disconnect between working conditions and mental health, 89; influence of gaming journalism on, 30–31; and mental health discourses, 95–100; paradigm of, 34–35; recommendations for, 41–44. See also culture
gaming industry, 4, 14, 17, 178; appeal of, 88–89; burnout and crunch time, 19–20, 84, 86–87, 93–95, 178–79; game testers and contract workers, 94; improving conditions in, 100–103; job instability, 86, 89, 94; legal paradigm for, 34; mental health strained by, 19–20, 88–104, 182–83; punishments and rewards, 94; treatment of marginalized people, 86. See also game design
gaming news. See journalism, gaming
Garland-Thompson, Rosemarie, 9
Gears 5 (The Coalition, 2019), 56–57, 60
gender identity, 73–74
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy (Bennett Foddy, 2017), 144–46, 145, 147
Ghost Recon Breakpoint (Ubisoft Paris, 2019), 57, 58
Gingrich, Julia, 107
glitches, used to portray mental illness, 170, 170
goals of game, 149, 151–52, 172, 174–75
Google Meet, 27
Grand Theft Auto 5 (Rockstar North, 2013), 14, 135, 135
ground floor of accessibility, 50, 54, 62–64, 178, 179–80, 183–85
Hades (Supergiant Games, 2020), 49, 50, 61, 68
Halfcoordinated. See Lexa, Clinton (Halfcoordinated)
Hartman, Saidiya, 114
Haunts Collective, 107
Heaven’s Vault (Inkle, 2019), 58
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Ninja Theory, 2017), 43, 96, 97, 98, 162–69, 164, 173
Hochschild, Arlie, 91
horror/thriller games, 97, 110, 140–41, 149, 154; jump scares, 171. See also Doki Doki Literature Club! (DDLC, Team Salvato, 2017)
horror tropes of disability, 3, 12, 110, 141, 168–73, 170
HTML5 games, 119
identities, disability, 19, 70–78; feeling empowered to inspire, 78–79; and “gaming capital,” 73–76, 79, 80; and gaming personae, 80–81; gaming to overcome challenges, 77–78; and gender, 73–74; interaction of gamer and disability identities, 78–81; streaming, disability, and identity negotiation, 74–78
identity, “gamer,” 72–73
id Software, 67
“immersion,” 133–34
“impairment,” 6
independent (indie) developers and games, 46, 64, 99, 108–9, 154, 162; programming and art assets, 121–22. See also D.Personal (Anderson, 2018); empathy games; game design process; reparative game design (RGD)
Individualized Education Plans (IEP), 33
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1990, 33
Infliction, 97
information: deprivation in games, 130, 132; game-critical, 59, 63–64, 141
“inspiration,” 78–79
interactivity, 120, 131; as ability, 4, 17, 20–21; arm movement only, 144–46, 145; ASL in game mechanics, 139–40; blindness in game mechanics, 140–42; conversation metaphor, 132–33, 134; definitions of, 132–35, 134; in Hellblade, 162–69, 164; interactive art, 105–7; portrayals of disability through, 20–21, 135–39; portraying mental illness through, 154–76; prosthetic weapons, 136–39, 147; and visual effects, 165; in What Remains of Edith Finch, 158–62; wheelchair use in gameplay, 142–44. See also D.Personal (Anderson, 2018); game mechanics
International Game Developer Association, 83, 84
interventions, games as, 14–15, 99
intuition, 133–34
“invisible” disabilities, 5
The Jazz Singer (movie), 51, 53
Johnson, Bryce, 47
Johnson, Mark R., 75
journalism, gaming, 27, 30–44; as ability machine, 17, 181–82; advocacy in, 18, 36, 39–40; burnout and crunch time in, 98–99, 100; categories, 35–37, 36; celebratory tone in, 35–36, 99, 173; characters with disabilities in articles, 35–36, 36; controllers/input devices in, 36, 36, 38, 40; critique in, 36, 38, 42; discourse on mental health, 19–20, 95–100; discourses produced by, 31, 34–35; discourse themes in, 18, 35–42, 36; fetishization of gamers with disabilities, 38–39, 42, 181; “Gamergate,” 30–31; gamers with disabilities in, 35, 36; general discussion of accessibility, 36, 36; on mental health activism, 97–98; mental illness portrayals and critiques, 20, 96–97, 100; problem-solving in, 40–41, 42; thought leaders, 7, 18, 30–31, 95, 99. See also disability, portrayals of; game design
Kingdom Hearts III (Square Enix Business and Division 3, 2019), 58
Kirkpatrick, Bill, 8–9
kitsch, 144
Kotaku.com, 35, 96
The Last of Us II (Naughty Dog, 2020), 64, 80
League of Legends (Riot Games, 2009), 132
legal paradigm and protections, 33, 34, 41, 43, 54, 63–64; and captioning, 52–54, 180
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX (Nintendo EAD, 1998), 59, 60
Lester (Grand Theft Auto), 135, 135
Lexa, Clinton (Halfcoordinated), 67–69, 70–71, 75–76, 77
lived experience, 9, 105, 109; and community, 116–18, 179–80
Loading (journal), 157
Loneliness (Magnuson, 2010), 151
Lorah, Alex, 129–30
Luke Skywalker problem, 147–48
Madeline (character, Celeste), 2, 155
“magic circle,” 133
Magnuson, Jordan, 151
Mainichi (Brice, 2012), 108
“Making Games Better for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing” (YouTube video), 55
Mario Kart 8 (Nintendo EAD, 2014), 60, 72
McGee, Laura, 115
McLeod, Kathleen, 107
McWhorter, Ladelle, 11
media, entertainment and news: ABC News (captioned version), 52; consumption model of reception, 132; impact of on people with mental illness, 12, 110, 157; as machine, 16; media affects, versus media effects, 116; portrayals of disability in, 5, 7, 97–98; portrayals of mental illness in, 12, 110, 156–57; values about disabilities in, 181
media affects, versus media effects, 116
Medication Meditation (Stone, 2014), 107
mental health: advocacy at conventions, 97–98; recommendations for, 93, 101–2, 179; Take This advocacy organization, 83–87
mental illness: and ability machines, 88, 103, 154, 175; abuse and safety issues, 84–86, 92–93; addiction to gaming, alarmist notions of, 15, 98; in Celeste, 2–3, 155; cognitive dissonance, 91; as curse, 165–66; depersonalization, 106, 111–13, 122; disability differentiated from, 12–13; disassociation and detachment, 159–61; disconnect with working conditions, 89; in Doki Doki Literature Club, 169, 169–73, 170; games as coping resources, 99, 162; and gaming conventions, 83, 97–98; gaming culture and discourses, 95–100; in gaming industry, 19–20, 88–104, 182–83; in Hellblade, 162–69; horror tropes of, 3, 12, 110, 141, 168–73, 170; impact of news media on people with, 12, 110, 157; and isolation, 89, 92, 93, 101, 108, 162, 168, 179; and pathological gaming, 161; and peer support, 118, 167; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), characters with, 110, 154; as process of overcoming challenges, 165; psychosis, 43, 162–68; psychosocial disability, 105–7, 156; researching by game developers, 43, 152, 166–68; similarities with disability, 12–13; and streaming, 19–20, 84–85, 89; suicide, 89, 92, 99, 159, 170–72. See also burnout and crunch time; disability
mental illness, portrayals of: controllers/input devices used for, 158–60, 171–72, 174; critiquing, 20, 96–97, 100; in games, 21, 96–97, 100, 150–53, 178; as a gift in game mechanics, 163–65, 168; glitches used, 170, 170; in media, 12, 110, 156–57; recommendations for, 21, 173–75; suicide portrayed in games, 159, 170–72; through interactivity, 154–76
menu systems, 58
Metal Gear series, 138–39
Metal Gear Solid V (Kojima Productions, 2015), 136–39
Metro Exodus (4A Games, 2019), 57
Microsoft Adaptive Controller, 36
military-themed games, 110, 154
mini-games, 147, 158–60, 187–88
Mitchell, David, 7
mixed methodologies approach, 8–9
mobile gaming, 28–29
Monika (Doki Doki Literature Club), 169, 169–73, 170
Moons of Madness (Rock Pocket Games, 2019), 96
Moss (Polyarc, 2018), 139–40, 148
“Most Accessible” awards, 36
motor disabilities, 41, 60–61, 145–46
narrative elements of games, 139–40, 154–55, 157, 168, 175, 180
New York Times, 181
Nguyen, Binh, 34
Nier: Automata (PlatinumGames, 2017), 44, 80
NoHandsKen, 75–78
Nolan, Christopher, 51
The Noose Hangs High (captioned film), 52
“normal,” concept of, 4, 9–13, 42; abnormality, social construction of, 11–12; and discipline, 10–11; “normate” subject position, 9. See also bodies
Ó Briain, Dara, 3
“occupational syndrome,” 86–87
O’Connor, Clarence, 51–52
Ohlana, 92
Orme, Stephanie, 96
“otherness,” 38, 41, 79, 144–45, 181–82
Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital, 2019), 58
The Outer Worlds (Obsidian Entertainment, 2019), 57, 58, 59
Overcooked 2 (Team17, 2018), 135
Overland (Finji, 2019), 60
overlays, 45–46
pain, chronic, 5, 35, 80, 187–88
“paradigm,” as verb, 80
pathological gaming, 161
PBS, 52
PCGamer.com, 35, 96
physical aspect of disability, 5–6, 179
Planet Zoo (Frontier Developments, 2019), 58
Plank, Dana, 134
platforming games, 1–2
Pokémon Sword and Shield (Game Freak, 2019), 60
Polygon.com, 35, 96
Pope, Lucas, 130
Portlandia (TV program), 5
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), characters with, 110, 154
Power, George, 34
problem-solving, 40–41, 42, 149, 177
“procedural rhetoric,” 173
prosthetic weapons, 136–39, 147
psychosocial disability, 105–7, 156
punishment, 10–11; in gaming industry, 94
puzzle games, 130, 133, 148, 162. See also Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Ninja Theory, 2017)
QuakeCon, 98
queer and transgender representations and players, 39, 114
Quinn, Zoë, 108
Raccoon Chef (Overcooked 2), 135
Rage 2 (Avalanche Studios and id Software, 2019), 57
Ramachandran, Rekha, 107
Rear Window Captioning System, 53
recommendations: for game culture, accessibility, and disability, 41–44; for gaming culture, 41–44; for gaming industry, 103; for mental health, 93, 101–2, 179; for portrayal of mental illness in games, 21, 173–75
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 32–33
reimagining disability: in game depictions, 131–49; map for, 180–88; starting conversations, 188–89; through video games, 177–89
Reinecke, Leonard, 161
remapping, 42, 44, 47; input, 60, 63, 64, 183, 185
reparative game design (RGD), 20, 105, 116–18, 178, 185–87; inflammation of symptoms, 120–22; reparative games as ability machines, 109–10, 122–24; shareability, 119–20; voice, 119–20, 186–87
Resident Evil 2 (Capcom, 2019), 56, 61
residual subjects and programs, 11
Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope, 2018), 130
Risk System (Newt Industries, 2019), 41
Ritual of the Moon (Stone, 2019), 120
Rockets: How They Work (educational film), 52
RockyNoHands, 75–78
Roosevelt, Franklin Delano, 32
Ryerson, Liz, 108
Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club), 172
Schell, Jesse, 17
Scott, Tom, 100–101
Scrooge (captioned film), 52
Sculptor (Sekiro), 136
Section 504 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973), 32–33
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (FromSoftware, 2019), 2, 57, 64, 136–39
self-congratulation, 18, 37–39, 177–78, 181; advocacy undermined by, 38; “toxic optimism,” 38, 42, 177
shareability, 119–20
The Sims, 97
simulation sickness, 64
single-player games, 74
Skywalker, Luke (The Empire Strikes Back), 147
Snake (Metal Gear Solid V), 137, 147–48
Snyder, Sharon, 7
social construction, 6, 11–12, 17, 35
social model of disability, 6–7, 9, 43
Soderman, Braxton, 144
Spec Ops: The Line (Yager Development, 2012), 154
spectrum of abilities, 27–28, 42, 44, 149
speech impairments, 7–8
speedrunning, 67–69, 70–71, 76–77, 90
Spiderman (superhero), 165
Splatoon 2 (Nintendo EPD, 2017), 40
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Respawn Entertainment, 2019), 57
“state machine,” 17
“State of the Industry 2019: Mental Health in the Game Industry” (Take This), 86
Stone, Kara, 105–7, 109, 116, 120–21, 122
“story machines,” 16
streaming, 8, 17, 18, 19; ABC: always be casting, 85; acknowledging disability, 76–77; algorithms for, 89, 93, 102, 179, 182–83; articles about streamers, 35; cognitive dissonance caused by, 91; disability and identity negotiation, 74–78; emotional labor demanded by, 89–93, 100–101, 178–79; improving conditions in, 100–103; income produced by, 74, 85, 86, 89–90; mental health challenges, 84–85; reasons for, 85–86; recommendations for mental health, 101–2, 179; rise of, 74; speedrunning, 67–69, 70–71, 76–77, 90; “stream deck,” 76; streamers blamed for mental health problems, 102; viewer participation, 90; YouTube interviews, 75–78
Street Fighter V (Capcom and Dimps, 2019), 76, 77
subtitles (captions), 1, 8, 33, 180; color coding, 57; developments in, 52–53; font size and style, 58, 59; in games, 43, 50–54; Google Meet, 27; mistakes in development, 46–47, 57; for sound effects, 56–57; universal, 63, 64
suicide, 89, 92, 99; portrayed in games, 159, 170–72
Sunless Skies (Failbetter Games, 2019), 58
Super Mario Maker 2 (Nintendo EPD, 2019), 62
Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EPD, 2017), 62
Super Meat Boy (Team Meat, 2010), 2
Super Monkey Ball (Amusement Vision, 2001), 67
The Surge 2 (Deck13 Interactive, 2019), 57
Tacoma (Fullbright, 2017), 140
Take This (mental health advocacy organization), 83–87
Tallman, Lance, 150–52
Team Sonic Racing (Sumo Digital and Hardlight, 2019), 60
TeleCaption I, 52
Telecommunications Act of 1996, 53
television, 50–54
Tetris (Alexey Pajitnov, 1984), 133
thought leaders in gaming, 7, 18, 30–31, 95, 99
Titra Film Laboratories, 51
Tomb Raider, 72
Total War: Three Kingdoms (Creative Assembly, 2019), 59
Trover Saves the Universe (Squanch Games, 2019), 139
Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, 53
Twitch.tv, 67, 71, 74, 85, 90, 101, 183
Uncharted 4 (Naughty Dog, 2016), 40
universal access, 33–34, 41, 49, 51, 62
University of St. Thomas game design students, 129–30, 187
University of Utah game design students, 150–53, 187
Untitled Goose Game (House House, 2019), 58
user-interface (UI) size, 57–58
Valiant Hearts: The Great War (Ubisoft Montpellier, 2014), 140
values about disability, 16, 168, 173, 177–79, 178, 181–82
virtual reality (VR), 29, 139–40, 148
visual accessibility and clarity, 57–60, 63–64, 180, 183–84; audio-based games, 14–15; Blind inaccessible to players with low vision or blindness, 141. See also blindness and visual disabilities
visual novel format, 155; Doki Doki Literature Club, 169, 169–73, 170
“walk cycles,” 122
website functionality, 45–46
What Remains of Edith Finch (Giant Sparrow, 2017), 110, 158–62, 173, 174
wheelchair use, in games, 129, 141–42, 145
Wolfenstein II (MachinesGames, 2017), 142–43, 148–49
Wolfenstein: The New Order (MachineGames, 2014), 61, 142–43
World Health Organization’s “internet gaming disorder,” 98
writing conclusions, game about, 184–85
Xbox 360, 81
Xbox One controller, 77
XXMormon (Anderson, 2021), 184, 185–87, 186
Yoshi’s Crafted World (Good-Feel, 2019), 60, 62
YouTube, 49, 53, 55, 56, 75–78
Yuri (Doki Doki Literature Club), 172
“Zach Anner & The Quest for the Rainbow Bagel,” 146
Zork: Grand Inquisitor (Activision, 1997), 53
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