Empoderamento, bem-estar e acessibilidade em jogos digitais
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2022
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Devido às suas características únicas, os jogos têm sido cada vez mais estudados como relevantes para a aprendizagem, representação, empoderamento, bem-estar e, em última análise, inclusão social. No entanto, no campo da deficiência em geral e da Deficiência Intelectual (DI) em particular, estas vantagens estão ainda imersas num conjunto de barreiras e obstáculos decorrentes da falta de acessibilidade deste medium e da falta de representação nos processos de investigação e criação. A presente coletânea de artigos científicos propõe uma abordagem conceptual e empírica a estas questões, com o objetivo principal de explorar o papel dos jogos digitais no empoderamento e bem-estar das pessoas com DI. Na abordagem empírica implementámos um processo de Investigação de Ação Participativa, envolvendo adultos com DI (N = 14) e estudantes do ensino superior (N = 17), visando três objetivos principais: (a) explorar a eficácia desta abordagem no empoderamento e bem-estar de adultos com DI institucionalizados; (b) verificar a viabilidade das abordagens participativas para a promoção da acessibilidade em jogos; e (c) explorar o valor pedagógico desta atividade no desenvolvimento profissional de futuros game designers e game developers. Nesta medida, a metodologia adotada incluiu uma abordagem etnográfica ao processo de criação colaborativa de jogos, envolvendo ambas as amostras, alinhada com avaliações pré e pós-processo. Entre Março de 2020 e Fevereiro de 2021 foram realizados: um focus group sobre interesses e hábitos mediáticos, nove sessões de criação participativa com feedback do público alvo, três rondas de playtesting e 162 sessões de jogo com adultos com DI. Deste processo resultaram 10 jogos acessíveis para pessoas com DI — criados considerando os seus interesses, necessidades, características cognitivas e motoras —, e 10 interfaces tangíveis (controlador) concebidos à medida de cada jogo. Os resultados obtidos sublinham a eficácia da abordagem apresentada na promoção do empoderamento e do bem-estar em adultos com DI, registando-se níveis estatísticos significativamente superiores após o processo (p < .05) que foram corroborados pelos dados da observação participante. Quanto aos estudantes, observaram-se níveis estatisticamente mais baixos (p < .05) de atitudes de preconceito em relação a pessoas com DI e um maior conhecimento da implementação de características de acessibilidade em jogos. O referido empoderamento, parece ter sido promovido pela aplicação de um processo criativo participativo de desenvolvimento, do qual resultaram um conjunto de jogos ajustados às narrativas e experiências das pessoas com DI. Embora este trabalho seja um estudo de caso com uma amostra limitada e desenvolvido num contexto específico, é possível identificar as suas potenciais contribuições para uma maior inclusão de pessoas com DI na indústria de jogos e nos estudos dos media. Sendo esta uma questão de direitos, também é estratégia exequível para abordar questões de acessibilidade e representação. Os resultados deste estudo podem ajudar a enquadrar uma discussão mais ampla sobre a inclusão das vozes dos grupos sub-representados por via dos jogos e como estas estratégias podem ser parte da formação dos futuros profissionais daquela área.
Because of their unique characteristics, games have been increasingly studied as relevant to learning, representation, empowerment, well-being, and, ultimately, social inclusion. However, in the field of disability, these advantages are still immersed in a set of barriers and hindrances, arising from the lack of accessibility of this medium and the lack of representation of voices in research and development processes, which seems to be exponentiated in the field of Intellectual Disability (ID). The present scientific articles’ collection proposes a broad conceptual and empirical approach to tackle these issues, with the main goal of exploring the role of digital games in the empowerment and well-being of people with ID. In our empirical approach, we have implemented a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach to target this gap, involving both adults with ID (N = 14) and higher education students (N = 17), through three main aims: (a) explore the effectiveness of this approach in the empowerment and well-being of adults with ID living in an institutional setting; (b) explore the feasibility of promoting accessibility in games through participatory approaches; and (c) explore the pedagogical value of this activity in the professional development of future game designers and developers. To this extent, the adopted methodology included an ethnographic approach to the collaborative game creation process, involving both samples, was conducted, aligned with pre and post-process assessments. One focus group about interests and media habits, nine co-creation sessions with feedback from the target audience, three playtesting rounds, and 162 gaming sessions with adults with ID were conducted between March 2020 and February 2021. This process resulted in 10 accessible games for people with ID, created considering their interests, needs, cognitive and motor characteristics, as well as in a different tangible interface (controller) for each game, adapted to their motor impairments. The obtained results emphasize the effectiveness of the presented approach in promoting empowerment and well-being in adults with ID, with statistically significantly higher levels (p < .05) illustrated on the post-assessments and corroborated by the participant observation data. On the other side, students showed increased knowledge of implementing accessibility features in games, aligned with statistically significant lower levels (p < .05) of prejudice-driven attitudes towards people with ID. By analyzing the developed games, it is possible to mention that empowerment seemed to be promoted through the development of games that, through a participatory creative process, represented the narratives and experiences of people with ID. Although this work is a case study with a limited sample and developed in a specific context, it is possible to highlight its potential contributions to greater inclusion of people with ID in both game industry and game studies, as a matter of rights and feasible strategy to tackle accessibility and representation issues. Furthermore, it can frame a broader discussion about how games represent the voices of underrepresented groups, and how these strategies might be included in the training of future game designers and game developers.
Because of their unique characteristics, games have been increasingly studied as relevant to learning, representation, empowerment, well-being, and, ultimately, social inclusion. However, in the field of disability, these advantages are still immersed in a set of barriers and hindrances, arising from the lack of accessibility of this medium and the lack of representation of voices in research and development processes, which seems to be exponentiated in the field of Intellectual Disability (ID). The present scientific articles’ collection proposes a broad conceptual and empirical approach to tackle these issues, with the main goal of exploring the role of digital games in the empowerment and well-being of people with ID. In our empirical approach, we have implemented a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach to target this gap, involving both adults with ID (N = 14) and higher education students (N = 17), through three main aims: (a) explore the effectiveness of this approach in the empowerment and well-being of adults with ID living in an institutional setting; (b) explore the feasibility of promoting accessibility in games through participatory approaches; and (c) explore the pedagogical value of this activity in the professional development of future game designers and developers. To this extent, the adopted methodology included an ethnographic approach to the collaborative game creation process, involving both samples, was conducted, aligned with pre and post-process assessments. One focus group about interests and media habits, nine co-creation sessions with feedback from the target audience, three playtesting rounds, and 162 gaming sessions with adults with ID were conducted between March 2020 and February 2021. This process resulted in 10 accessible games for people with ID, created considering their interests, needs, cognitive and motor characteristics, as well as in a different tangible interface (controller) for each game, adapted to their motor impairments. The obtained results emphasize the effectiveness of the presented approach in promoting empowerment and well-being in adults with ID, with statistically significantly higher levels (p < .05) illustrated on the post-assessments and corroborated by the participant observation data. On the other side, students showed increased knowledge of implementing accessibility features in games, aligned with statistically significant lower levels (p < .05) of prejudice-driven attitudes towards people with ID. By analyzing the developed games, it is possible to mention that empowerment seemed to be promoted through the development of games that, through a participatory creative process, represented the narratives and experiences of people with ID. Although this work is a case study with a limited sample and developed in a specific context, it is possible to highlight its potential contributions to greater inclusion of people with ID in both game industry and game studies, as a matter of rights and feasible strategy to tackle accessibility and representation issues. Furthermore, it can frame a broader discussion about how games represent the voices of underrepresented groups, and how these strategies might be included in the training of future game designers and game developers.
Descrição
Orientação: Manuel José Damásio ; Co-orientação: José Carlos Santos Neves
Palavras-chave
DOUTORAMENTO EM CIÊNCIAS DA COMUNICAÇÃO, COMUNICAÇÃO, JOGOS, DEFICIÊNCIA INTELECTUAL, EMPODERAMENTO, BEM-ESTAR, INVESTIGAÇÃO-AÇÃO, COMMUNICATION, GAMES, SIGNIFICANT DISABILITY, EMPOWERMENT, WELL-BEING, ACTION RESEARCH