Glossary

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3D Audio(also: Three-Dimensional Audio, Binaural Audio, Immersive Audio)

Audio technology that creates the perception of sound sources positioned in three-dimensional space around the listener, including above, below, and at varying distances. 3D audio uses head-related transfer functions (HRTFs), interaural time differences, and distance-based…

Ability-based calibration(also: Adaptive calibration, Movement range calibration)

The process of adjusting a technology system's input sensitivity and thresholds to match an individual user's physical capabilities and range of motion, rather than assuming a normative body. In motion-based gaming and rehabilitation, ability-based calibration typically involves…

Adaptive Gameplay(also: Adaptive Difficulty, Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment)

A game design approach in which the system automatically adjusts difficulty, pacing, or content based on the player's real-time performance and behaviour. In accessibility and therapeutic contexts, adaptive gameplay is used to create personalized experiences for users with…

Aim Assist(also: Aim Assistance, Auto-Aim, Bullet Magnetism)

A category of input-assistance features in shooter games that help a player acquire or track targets, for example by enlarging the effective cursor area, bending projectile paths toward enemies, or slowing the aim reticle when it is near a target. Aim assist is widely used to…

Asymmetric Gameplay(also: Asymmetric Game Design, Asymmetric Multiplayer)

A game design approach where different players have different roles, abilities, information, or challenges within the same game. In the context of accessibility, asymmetric gameplay is a promising strategy for mixed-ability gaming because it allows each player's role and…

Audio Game(also: Audiogame, Audio-Based Game, Accessible Game)

A video game designed primarily or entirely around audio output rather than visual graphics, making it accessible to players who are blind or have visual impairments. Audio games use techniques such as 3D spatial audio, sound effects, text-to-speech, and musical cues to convey…

Audio game(also: Audiogame, Sound-based game, Accessible game)

A digital game designed to be played primarily or entirely through audio, without requiring visual information. Audio games use spatial sound, earcons, music, voice narration, and other auditory cues to convey gameplay information, environments, and interactions. They range from…

Audio-Based Virtual Environment(also: Audio Virtual Environment, Sound-Based Virtual World, Auditory Virtual Environment)

An audio-based virtual environment is a computer-generated interactive space that uses sound — including 3D spatial audio, stereo effects, and environmental audio cues — as the primary channel for conveying information about the virtual world, enabling navigation, orientation,…

Auto-Aim(also: Lock-On Targeting, Target Assist, Aim Assist)

An accessibility feature in games and virtual environments that helps users locate and track targets without requiring precise manual aiming. Auto-aim typically scans the environment for objects of interest and automatically adjusts the user's view or cursor to face or track the…

Board Game Accessibility(also: Tabletop Game Accessibility)

The practice of making physical board games, card games, and tabletop games playable by people with disabilities. Most commercial board games rely heavily on visual information — printed text, colors, visual textures, and spatial layouts — making them inaccessible to blind and…

Challenge-Point Framework

A motor-learning theory proposed by Guadagnoli and Lee (2004) which holds that learning is optimised when the difficulty of a task is appropriately matched to the learner's current skill level. Tasks that are too easy provide little information to learn from, while tasks that…

Copilot (Shared Control)(also: Gaming Copilot, Assistive Copilot)

In shared-control video gaming, the copilot is the secondary actor who supports the pilot (the primary player, typically a person with a disability) by taking over game actions the pilot cannot perform. A copilot can be a human partner — often a family member, friend, or trained…

Curse of Dimensionality (Accessibility)

In an accessibility context, the practical barrier that arises when a player or user must coordinate a large number of distinct inputs simultaneously or in rapid succession — for example, moving, aiming, shooting, and reloading concurrently in a first-person shooter. Even when…

Diegetic Sound(also: In-World Sound, Source Sound)

Sound that originates from a source within the narrative world of a game, film, or virtual reality environment — meaning the characters or inhabitants of that world could theoretically hear it. Examples include a phone ringing, a dog barking, footsteps, a crackling fire, or a…

Esports(also: Competitive Gaming, Electronic Sports, E-Sports)

Organised, competitive video-game play — typically involving tournaments, teams, audiences, and professional players. Esports has grown into a major global industry and a site of accessibility research, because conventional game controllers and high-speed inputs can exclude…

Exergame(also: Exercise game, Active video game, Fitness game)

A video game that requires physical movement or exercise as the primary interaction mechanism, combining gameplay elements like scoring, levels, and achievements with physical activity. Accessible exergames for people with disabilities use alternative feedback modalities — such…

Exergaming(also: Exercise Gaming, Active Gaming, Exergames)

A category of digital games that require physical movement or exercise as the primary means of interaction, combining gameplay with physical activity. Exergames use motion sensors, pressure pads, cameras, cycling devices, or other physical interfaces to translate body movements…

Game Accessibility(also: Accessible Gaming, Inclusive Game Design)

The practice of designing video games so they can be enjoyed by players with disabilities, including visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive impairments. Game accessibility encompasses a wide range of considerations: remappable controls and alternative input devices for motor…

Game Captioning(also: Video Game Captions, Gaming Subtitles, In-Game Captions)

The practice of displaying text representations of dialogue, sound effects, and other audio content within video games for deaf and hard-of-hearing players. Game captioning differs from film or television captioning because games are interactive rather than passive — players…

Gamified evaluation(also: Game-based assessment, Gamified testing)

A research methodology that incorporates game design elements — such as challenges, scoring, progressive difficulty, and rewards — into the evaluation of technology or user performance, to increase participant engagement, motivation, and retention. In accessibility research,…

Handicapping(also: Handicap System, Player Balancing)

A mechanism that asymmetrically adjusts game or contest conditions so competitors of differing ability have more equal chances to win or participate meaningfully. Long established in sports such as golf, horse racing, and archery, handicapping is distinct from matchmaking in…

Human Cooperation (Accessibility)(also: Cooperative Shared Control)

In the context of accessible gaming and assistive technology, human cooperation refers to arrangements in which a disabled user (the pilot) and another person (the copilot) jointly operate a single system — for example by splitting game controller inputs between two pads so they…

Hyperstory(also: Interactive Story, Branching Narrative, Hypertext Story)

A hyperstory is an interactive, non-linear narrative structure in which users make choices that influence the direction and outcome of the story. Adapted from hypertext concepts, hyperstories combine storytelling with interactive exploration, allowing users to navigate through…

Inclusive Esports(also: Accessible Esports)

A framing of competitive gaming that enables players with and without disabilities to compete on common terms — through universal input modalities (e.g., EMG, motion sensing, eye tracking), accessible controllers, software-based player balancing, or game designs that avoid…

Key Remapping(also: Key Rebinding, Control Remapping, Custom Key Bindings)

The ability to reassign keyboard controls to different keys than the software defaults. Key remapping is essential for users with motor disabilities who may only be able to reach certain areas of the keyboard, use one hand, or have limited range of motion. For example, a…

Location-Based Game(also: LBG, Location-Based Puzzle Game, LBPG)

A location-based game (LBG) is a game whose gameplay depends on the player’s real-world physical location, typically determined via GPS, NFC, Bluetooth beacons, or QR codes. Examples include Geocaching, Ingress, Pokémon GO, and a range of urban puzzle, treasure-hunt, and tourism…

Mixed-Ability Interaction(also: Mixed-Ability Play, Mixed-Visual-Ability, Cross-Ability Interaction)

Social interactions, activities, or collaborative experiences involving people with different levels of ability, such as sighted and visually impaired people playing a game together, or wheelchair users and ambulatory people sharing a physical activity. In the context of…

Mixed-ability play(also: Inclusive play, Mixed-ability gaming)

Game design that enables meaningful shared play experiences between people with and without disabilities, ensuring that ability differences do not prevent enjoyable social interaction. Mixed-ability play requires careful balancing of challenge levels, input modalities, and…

Motion Gaming(also: Motion-Based Gaming, Gesture-Based Gaming)

Video games that use body movements as input, typically through motion-sensing controllers (Nintendo Wii) or depth cameras (Microsoft Kinect) rather than traditional button-based controllers. Motion gaming has significant applications in rehabilitation, where it can make…

Motion-based game accessibility(also: Movement game accessibility, Exergame accessibility)

The design and adaptation of video games that use physical movement as the primary input — such as Kinect, Wii, and VR games — to be playable by people with motor impairments including wheelchair users. Commercial motion-based games typically assume standing play and full-body…

PS5 Access Controller(also: PlayStation Access Controller, Access Controller)

Sony's highly customisable controller for PlayStation 5, released in 2023 and designed for players with limited motor control. It has a flat disc layout with interchangeable button caps and analog stick attachments, 3.5 mm expansion ports for external switches, and…

Partial Automation(also: Adaptive Automation)

An accessibility technique in digital games and interactive systems where the system automatically performs actions or controls mechanics that a user cannot execute due to a disability, while leaving the user in control of all mechanics they can perform. For example, in a…

Pilot (Shared Control)

In shared-control video gaming, the pilot is the primary player — usually a person with a disability — who drives the gameplay and makes strategic decisions, while delegating specific inaccessible inputs to a copilot. The pilot retains leadership of the session and, in most…

Rehabilitation Gaming(also: Rehab Gaming, Therapeutic Gaming)

The use of digital games that incorporate physical rehabilitation exercises into gameplay, transforming repetitive therapeutic movements into engaging interactive experiences. Rehabilitation games map exercises such as cycling, reaching, balancing, or arm movements to in-game…

Rhythm Game(also: Music Game, Music/Rhythm Game)

A genre of video game in which players must perform actions — such as pressing buttons, tapping a screen, or moving a controller — in time with music or a rhythmic pattern. Popular examples include Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Dance Dance Revolution, and Beat Saber. Rhythm games are…

Rhythm-Action Game(also: Rhythm Game, Music Rhythm Game, Beat-Matching Game)

A genre of video game in which players must make timed inputs (button presses, key strokes, or physical movements) synchronised with musical beats or rhythmic patterns. Popular examples include Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, and PaRappa the Rapper. Rhythm-action games are…

Rubber Banding(also: Rubber-Band AI, Catch-Up Mechanic)

A handicapping technique, common in racing games, that dynamically adjusts the speed or performance of leading and trailing players to keep them close together. Traditional rubber banding operates by boosting the trailing player or hampering the leader in ways that are not…

Sandbagging

The practice of deliberately underperforming in a competitive setting to obtain a more favourable handicap, ranking, or matchmaking placement, then exploiting that advantage in later matches. Sandbagging originates in handicapped sports such as golf and is a known risk for any…

Serious Games(also: Applied Games, Games for Health, Therapeutic Games)

Games designed with a primary purpose beyond entertainment, such as education, training, therapy, or rehabilitation. In accessibility contexts, serious games are increasingly used for vision therapy, cognitive rehabilitation, motor skill development, and social skills training…

Serious Games for Health(also: SG4H, Health Games, Therapeutic Games)

Serious Games for Health (SG4H) are video games designed primarily for clinical, rehabilitative, or health-education outcomes rather than entertainment, while still using game mechanics, narrative, and reward systems to motivate engagement. They are used in physical therapy,…

Situated Play Design(also: SPD)

Situated Play Design is a design approach developed by Altarriba Bertran and colleagues that treats play as something emergent from a specific social, physical, and cultural setting rather than something to be engineered into a generic product. It combines ethnographic…

Skill-Based Matchmaking(also: SBMM)

An online matchmaking approach that attempts to pair competitors of similar demonstrated skill so that matches are appropriately challenging. SBMM is the dominant industry response to ability imbalances in competitive multiplayer video games, but it depends on a dense population…

Sony Access Controller(also: PlayStation Access Controller, Project Leonardo)

A customisable game controller released by Sony in 2023 for the PlayStation 5, designed for players with limited motor control. The Access Controller is a circular unit with swappable button caps, long-throw levers, adjustable stick positioning, and four 3.5mm ports for external…

Sound Visualization(also: Audio Visualization, Sound-to-Visual Mapping)

The practice of representing audio information through visual means, enabling Deaf or Hard-of-hearing individuals to perceive sound-based information that would otherwise be inaccessible. Sound visualization goes beyond simple captioning to convey characteristics like loudness…

Tactile Dowsing

An interaction technique that uses vibrotactile feedback to guide a user toward a target direction in space without visual cues. The term draws an analogy to water dowsing, where a divining rod supposedly reacts when pointing toward the target. In tactile dowsing, a handheld…

Third place

A sociological concept coined by Ray Oldenburg describing informal social gathering spaces beyond the home (first place) and workplace (second place), such as cafes, parks, community centers, or clubs. Third places are characterized by inclusivity, voluntary participation, low…

VR Gaming Accessibility

The practice of making virtual reality games playable and enjoyable by people with disabilities. VR gaming presents unique accessibility challenges beyond traditional game accessibility because of its body-centric nature, requiring physical movement, spatial awareness, and…

Version segregation(also: Parallel versions, Separate accessible version)

A design practice in which a separate, simplified, or modified version of a product, game, or platform is created specifically for disabled users rather than making the main version accessible. While intended to improve access, version segregation often results in social…

Xbox Adaptive Controller(also: XAC)

A Microsoft-manufactured game controller designed for players with limited mobility. It provides a large flat-surface form factor with two oversized programmable buttons and 19 external 3.5 mm jacks plus USB ports, so it can be connected to a wide range of external switches,…

Xbox Controller Assist(also: Xbox Copilot)

A Microsoft software feature (formerly called Xbox Copilot) available on Xbox consoles and Windows PCs that links two physical controllers so they behave as a single controller — any input from either pad is treated as if it came from one player. It is explicitly advertised as…

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