Introduction: Gaming (and) Disability

Abstract

Games appeal to a diverse market of people spanning traditional age, gender, and socioeconomic divides. While games have the potential to be inclusive of people with disability, they can also further disable this group through inaccessible software, hardware, and inadequate representations. Academic approaches to disability and gaming often demonstrate an extension of compulsory able-bodiedness. While academic investigations of disability and gaming remain somewhat narrow in scope, media articles addressing accessibility in the industry are more progressive, highlighting the recreational and pop culture aspects of gaming for the disability community. Digital games are a rapidly growing industry becoming an increasingly important part of our cultural capital. Disability is a serious topic, usually framed as a personal tragedy or medical condition in need of intervention. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.