Signing off
The end of the Assistive Gaming website
February 26 2013
For anybody that might still be checking this website this will be the last post on assistivegaming.com. The last article that was posted on the website was back in August 2012. At that time my motivation and enthusiasm for the website was declining because it seemed like there wasn’t much interest in the site but I still intended to keep posting articles. But for a variety of reasons, some of which were being busy with other things and just not playing games as much, I never did get around to posting anything else. I thought about it on occasion but just didn’t do it. As the months passed it became more obvious than it already was that there wasn’t a whole lot of people checking the site out. The site statistics back this up but more importantly I hadn’t received a single email from anybody wondering why there wasn’t any more posts. I also had been the only contributor to the website for at least the last year. All of the work I’ve done for the website was done completely voluntarily. It’s actually pretty hard work, especially the type of long detailed reviews that I write. I never minded not getting paid for my work. I got free review copies of some games from publishers which was (...)
Opinion: As it turns out the iPad (especially the new iPad) really is for me
August 14 2012
From what would have been little more than an expensive paperweight to an indispensable device that I use every day in just a few months.
Back in 2010 I wrote an article for this site entitled "Why the iPad isn’t for me". Much has changed since then and I now have a third-generation iPad, also known as the "new iPad". Whether you’re a gamer or not I thought there might be some interest on my experiences of using one for around five months. Specifically how useful the new iPad can be (...)
Diablo 3 Preview
April 26 2012
An early peek at the long-awaited third installment of the legendary franchise.
On May 15 one of the most anticipated games of the year, which has been in development for an unusually long period of time, finally gets released to the public. I’m talking about Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo 3. It’s been twelve years since Diablo 2 was released and this third installment in the incredibly popular franchise was announced way back in June of 2008. This past weekend Blizzard had a free public (...)
Six Outstanding Puzzle Platformers You Should Try
February 08 2012
And they’re accessible and fun for everybody.
Recently I’ve started to enjoy a type of game known as the "puzzle platformer". These games are sort of an offshoot of the platform game genre, which includes well-known games such as Donkey Kong, Prince of Persia and Mirrors Edge. Typically platform games, or “run and jump” games as some people like to call them, are action and reflex–orientated. Puzzle platformers, however, rely much more on puzzle solving then quick reflexes. These types of (...)
Opinion: Why The iPad Isn’t For Me
June 14 2010
A revolutionary device with an incredible amount of potential but a step backward in accessibility for some.
The iPad has been out for a few months now and so far it looks like it has been a huge success for Apple. I’ve read a lot about the iPad, watched a lot of YouTube demonstrations of various apps on the iPad, and actually tried one out in person at the local Apple store on a few occasions. It’s an incredible device. And because of the excellent App Store the iPad is incredibly (...)
Second Life: Five-Years of the Matrix/Virtual World
July 28 2008
Do you ever wish you could fly, travel place to place without transportation, or meet other people from different countries?
There is a 3D, multiplayer, virtual world out there where you can do just that and it’s called Second Life. Second Life was created by Linden Lab and recently celebrated its fifth birthday.
Linden Lab was founded in 1999 by Philip Rosedale to create a revolutionary new form of shared experience which became known as Second Life. Second Life is a 3D virtual world (...)
Interactive Fiction Games
April 11 2008
An interactive fiction (IF) game is almost like a fancy computerised version of a “choose your own adventure” book with more choices available.
An interactive fiction game occurs all in text input and output, making it accessible to those using VoiceOver’s spoken or braille interfaces. IF games are also turn-based rather than time-based, so if it takes the user several minutes or more to enter their portion of the text this won’t affect the game. This makes IF games ideal for those who have (...)
Say It, Play It. The Method 101
March 31 2008
Having introduced, the concept of gaming by voice control in the article: Say It, Play It! Voice Control, the following is a more detailed look at how this is done.
To fully test the principles in this tutorial, it would be desirable for you to have:
1. The Voice Commander application. It’s available to download here. Voice Commander costs $15 for the full version. The free demo version is limited in how long it will run before quitting and how many voice commands you can use per (...)
LayoutKitchen Laboratory: Return to Dark Castle Demo
March 20 2008
In this edition of LayoutKitchen Laboratory I’m tackling the Return to Dark Castle Demo from Super Happy Fun Fun. The idea behind LayoutKitchen Laboratory is to attempt to make previously unplayable or difficult-to-play games playable by creating custom keyboards for them using AssistiveWare’s excellent LayoutKitchen 2.0 software.
One of the first Mac games I ever got was Dark Castle in 1986. It was a huge hit back then and spawned the sequel Beyond Dark Castle in 1987. The big problem with (...)
Say It, Play It! Voice Control.
March 18 2008
Greetings to all from New Zealand!
This article, is more of an introduction to what will hopefully be a number of much more detailed articles on my particular approach to gaming. As a high-level quadriplegic, I have the use of my head and shoulders.
Like many others with my particular disability, my control device is a Headmaster Plus, this gives me excellent mouse control. A puff switch gives me a standard one button mouse click.
Most of the sections on this website deal with gaming from (...)
LayoutKitchen Laboratory: Commandos 3 Demo
February 29 2008
In the first of what I hope to be a continual series called "LayoutKitchen Laboratory" I’m tackling the Commandos 3 Demo from Feral Interactive. The idea behind LayoutKitchen Laboratory is to attempt to make previously unplayable or difficult-to-play games playable by creating custom keyboards for them using AssistiveWare’s excellent LayoutKitchen 2.0 software.
The Commandos 3 Demo (or C3) is a small portion of Commandos 3: Destination Berlin, which is part of the Commandos Battle Pack. (...)
PC Gaming, we got it too!
February 19 2008
Not only does SwitchXS give single switch gamers access to Macintosh games, it allows switch users access to PC based gaming using virtualisation software on Intel Macs...
I first bought Parallels virtualisation software to chat with friends using Windows using the same messengers they were due to incompatibility problems between the Mac version. Not only did I find SwitchXS the perfect partner for Parallels for chatting but, being a fan of Texas Holdem (Poker) I found that many of these (...)
Let the Games Begin
January 21 2008
For many new switch users, playing games with SwitchXS might seem like a daunting task, however, with a little practice and the right games even a novice can be up and clicking in no time.
When I began using a single switch and scanning software to access my first PowerBook, I had no idea where to begin in terms of gaming. All I knew for sure was that I had to play something; gaming was in my blood.
To begin, it’s best to start with games that don’t require a great deal of quick action from (...)
Tools of the Trade
January 20 2008
These days those that are physically-challenged have plenty of options when it comes to making games playable for them. I’ve been a Quadriplegic for over twenty years and I’ve been playing games on Macs for nearly that long. Here’s some of the more recent tools I’ve used to accomplish this, plus a few I haven’t but think might be useful.
For me it all starts with AssistiveWare’s KeyStrokes. No single piece of software has been more useful to me than KeyStrokes. As long as KeyStrokes is (...)
RSS 2.0