I have been playing complex strategy based board games for years. Many might know them better as Euro games since most of them are developed in Europe. These are not the type of games where you role a dice, land on a square and have something happen to you. They are much more complex and fun. The inherent problem with all of these games though is that they're not accessible. In some cases I've added braille to cards or modified the board, but the reason I'm able to play the games is because I have sighted help and I memorize everything.
Since I love board games, I was excited to learn about a new company called 64 Ounce games, because they are committed to making their games accessible to the blind. The husband and wife team are both teachers. Richard teaches science and has been designing games for years, and Emily Gibbs is a teacher of the visually impaired.
They have not released any games yet, but they are working on a number of titles. Their biggest project right now is a strategy game called Movie Bite. According to the website, "It is a survival horror dungeon crawl adventure. Each player takes on a role as a cliche movie trope and tries to survive and evening filled with Zombies, Vampires and Werewolves. Players must collect items, deal with their quirks and try not to turn into the monsters that they are running away from." The plan is to release an accessibility pack that will accompany the game. Right now they are planning to use QR codes as a way to access information on the cards, but they are still testing out the reliability and functionality of that idea.
You can read about the other games they're working on by visiting the Games section of the website. You can also send them an email to braille@64ouncegames.com if you're interested in testing out the games before they're released.
Source: Go to sourceCategory: Toys/Games
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For the past three years Alena has been a feature writer for the online magazine Matilda Ziegler. She has also been a contractor for the Oregon Commission for the Blind, helping blind adults learn to use adaptive technology. She is studying to be a teacher of the visually impaired at Portland State. You might also recognize her from the Serotalk podcast Triple Click Home.
