Investigating the Effects of Accessibility : A study on the influence of accessibility features for hearing-impaired players on the perceptions and immersion of non-disabled players

Abstract: Playing and enjoying games might seem like a simple task to most people even though many games rely heavily on sensory, cognitive and motoric ability. To create games that are accessible and inclusive to a wide range of audiences, it is important that design choices are considered carefully. This thesis aims to provide an investigation into closed captioning and enhanced speech bubbles. The goal is to clarify and to compare what effects these features have on the perception of situational and affective information and how they affect the immersion of non-disabled players. Two experiments were performed with a total of 38 participants at the University of Skövde. Each experiment investigated a separate accessibility feature and evaluated their influence on the gameplay experience. By performing two experiments, it was possible to identify the strengths and weaknesses of both features in comparison to each other. The results show that closed captions can have a negative effect on the immersion of the player and that enhanced speech bubbles increase immersion and provide additional affective information to the player.