Chalmers University of Technology

Computer Supported Accessible Dexterity-Based Board Games

Michael James Heron's work addresses a gap in board game accessibility: dexterity-based games such as Crokinole, which depend on fine and gross motor control, precision, and positioning, appear to have no accessible design for players with severe physical impairments.

• Dexterity-based board games such as Crokinole rely on fine and gross motor control, which effectively excludes players with severe physical impairments; the research draws on a database of over 230 game teardowns from Meeple Like Us to make this case.
• The proposed solution is a computer-supported alternative in which the physical flick is replaced by a single button, key, or switch press, with direction and power set through click-based controls.
• The Crokinole proof of concept uses a webcam over the physical board, OpenCV for disc detection by colour and shape, and a Unity physics engine to simulate flicks, after which the physical board is resynchronized before play continues.