Glossary

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Accessible Gaming(also: Game Accessibility, Inclusive Gaming)

The design and development of video games and interactive entertainment that can be played by people with disabilities. Accessible gaming encompasses adaptable controls, audio-based gameplay, haptic feedback, customizable difficulty, and alternative input methods. It ensures…

Cause and Effect Software(also: Cause and Effect Games, Contingency Learning Software)

Simple interactive software designed for users with significant cognitive or motor disabilities, where any input (such as pressing a switch) produces an immediate sensory response (visual, auditory, or both). These programs help users understand the relationship between their…

Co-Pilot Mode(also: Copilot Mode, Xbox Copilot)

Co-Pilot Mode is an accessibility feature, introduced by Microsoft on Xbox in 2017 and since adopted elsewhere, that lets two controllers be combined so they act as a single logical controller driving the same in-game player. The feature was created primarily for disabled…

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

Sound that originates from within the world of a game, film, or virtual environment—sounds that characters within that world could theoretically hear. In gaming and VR, diegetic sounds include environmental audio (footsteps, ambient noise, machinery), character dialogue, and…

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, Exergaming, Active Video Game)

A video game that requires physical activity beyond traditional handheld controller manipulation, combining gaming with exercise. Exergames use motion sensors, cameras, balance boards, or other input devices to track body movements as game controls. In rehabilitation contexts,…

Exergames(also: Exertion games, Active video games, AVGs)

Video games designed to require physical exertion — whole-body movement, resistance, or sustained aerobic activity — as the primary input modality. Exergames span consumer titles (e.g., Wii Fit, Ring Fit Adventure) and clinical applications for rehabilitation, balance training,…

Game Accessibility Guidelines(also: GAG)

A community-maintained reference (gameaccessibilityguidelines.com) co-authored by game developers, academics, and specialists, organising recommendations for making video games more accessible across motor, visual, cognitive, speech, and hearing disabilities. The guidelines are…

Game-Based Assessment(also: Gamified assessment, Serious-game assessment)

The use of purpose-built games or playful interactive experiences to measure cognitive, behavioral, or skill-based constructs that would traditionally be assessed through structured tests or questionnaires. Game-based assessments embed validated task parameters (e.g.,…

Gaming accessibility(also: Game accessibility, Accessible gaming)

The design and development of video games and gaming experiences that can be enjoyed by people with a wide range of abilities, including those with motor, sensory, cognitive, and communication disabilities. Gaming accessibility encompasses features such as remappable controls,…

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…

Player balancing(also: Dynamic difficulty adjustment, Skill balancing)

A game design technique that provides in-game advantages to lower-performing players, reducing performance disparities between competitors of different ability levels. In the context of accessibility, player balancing through skill assistance — such as aim correction in shooting…

Playful Interaction(also: Playful design)

A design stance that treats play — voluntary, intrinsically motivated, rule-structured activity — as a core property of interactive systems rather than a surface layer of rewards or points. Playful interaction emphasizes the felt experience of users (curiosity, challenge, flow,…

Playtesting(also: Play testing)

A user-research method in game and interactive-system design in which representative users play an in-development game while researchers observe, collect think-aloud commentary, and conduct follow-up interviews to probe mechanics, engagement, difficulty, and fit with intended…

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…

VRChat

VRChat is a mainstream, user-generated social virtual reality platform where people gather as avatars in user-created 'worlds' that range from quiet scenic environments to busy public social hubs. Users communicate through spatialised voice chat, simple gestures and virtual…

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