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with Bridge multimedia to think about how it could be accessible to kids with physical and cognitive disabili- ties. One of the specific things they built in were cus- tomizable screen display options that meant adjustable text size but also color and contrast, as well as audio control options and voice-overs,” Sara explains. Addi- tionally, they offer descriptive audio and keyboard con- trols for blind and visually impaired children. And all children can find more hints as they are playing: game learning support. On top of this, PBS considered players with autism by making the music adjustable to avoid sensory overload.
trying to mimic the facial expression of the character in the show. “We have heard from a few producers that the eye shape and the ability of the character to express emotions has been resonating with children on the autism spectrum,” Sara says.
Real-Time Contextual Feedback: Karina Tests Fish Force
Bridget is seven years old and lives with autism, ADHD, and anxiety. She loves to bake apple crisp, pumpkin pie, Rice Krispies, and sugar cookies. Howev- er, Bridget doesn’t enjoy doing her homework because of math. “I need fun math,” she says. When I ask her what she means by that, she explains, “You just have fun while you are doing it. You do it in a fun way. You could do it with sweets. Say, you have ten cheese crack- ers and ten goldfish. How many does that make? 20!” I laugh and agree. This really is more fun.
Some of the games use real-time contextual feedback, which means they adjust to the skill level of the gamer in real-time. One of these games is Fish Force, which, of course, I have to try myself too. Fish Force is a sci- ence game where the player has to shoot fish with a can- non onto ice, hit a stuffed animal, and push it into a spe- cific target area - almost like curling. I can adjust the force and the angle of the launcher. This game is a bit more complex compared to Slidea-ma-zoo because it offers more possible options, and the way it adapts to my skill level makes it a bit harder with every level. After a few attempts, additional obstacles are added to the playing field, like penguins that move in the way of my flying fish, or sand that adds friction to reduce the speed of the fish gliding over the ice. All of these chal- lenges have to be included in the decision-making process. When I miss my target, which happens quite often - I am clumsy - I shout out ‘Nooo,’ and Ruff, the narrator, asks me if I am sure the amount of force I used was correct. No, it certainly wasn’t. I need another two attempts to finish the level and feel very relieved when I do. This game is for children, and I am 33. But I still feel engaged.
Bridget wears pink glasses and a pink dress showing a unicorn. Her room is purple with colorful posters every- where. While we talk, she uses a fidgeting toy to relieve stress. Bridget is a smart, articulate, little girl who loves to learn. “My favorite show is WordGirl,” she says. “’cause she likes to teach people about stuff. So, people know the right thing to do. If they want to say a sen- tence, they might use some of the words that she teaches us to use.” WordGirl is a superhero with an impressive vocabulary that she uses to fight crime. Bridget also loves Pinkalicious. “I like that she learns a lesson after she has done something,” Bridget explains. The young girl has a poster of a horse on her wall, and I ask her about her favorite animal. She says she loves horses, narwhals, dolphins, unicorns, cats, dogs, and lions. The latter one because it’s cute.
Sara explains, “Children need to formulate a hypothesis, and then test it. We wanted to see if we could get this principle across while also helping them understand dif- ferent kinds of forces and motions. As we built the game with WGBH in Boston, we tried to identify spe- cific places where kids would demonstrate their knowl- edge of the concept within the gameplay. If they were to master the first level just like that, then the game would jump up a few levels to meet their skills and adapt the challenge. Within those levels, the feedback is also adjusting depending on what they did accurately or what required some more attention or hint.”
Due to her passion for animals, she enjoys watching PBS’s Wild Kratts, a show about biology, zoology, and ecology. “They teach us about animals. In one show, they taught us about flamingos, that they aren’t pink when they are born, but white,” Bridget explains. If she could be any of the characters of her favorite PBS shows, she would be Aviva Corcovado, a female engi- neer in Wild Kratts. “She makes creature power suits to transform into animals. They just put the power on and become the animal,”
Access for Children with Autism
Bridget’s favorite game is Ready Jet Go! because “it’s like a video game. There is this maze, and you have to jump, get coins, and stars, and fly, and pretty much everything,” Bridget says. And of course, she enjoys the Pinkamagine Fashion creator. “You get to choose your outfit, and then you can decorate it any way you want. And they take a picture, and you choose a background,” Bridget illustrates. I created my own polka dot dress too. And yes, this is fun. Besides playing games, the creative girl has big plans for her future too. When asked what job she would want to do as a grown-up, she shockingly says, “Job?! Well, I would like to be a happy artist. I would just like to work at a happy place and
Besides having a sensory-friendly environment in many of their games, PBS also shows the name of an emotion and the picture of the character with a particular emo- tion. The Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood app additionally gives the child the option to take a photo of themselves,
7-Year-Old Bridget
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