Handicap Accessibility of PC Games

Before I begin, I need to preface this blog post, so you can understand where I'm coming from. I am a handicapped gamer with extremely limited use of my hands. I am incapable of playing console games, and so I am a firm adherent to PC games. I use an optical Belkin mini-mouse, and that's about the extent of my ability. There was a time when I was capable of using a keyboard, but that time has long since passed. The last game I was able to play using a keyboard was Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast, and the last time I played it, I believe, was in 2004. So, as you can see, my current situation is rather limiting. However, I have played through quite a few PC games over the past few years, and hopefully the industry will keep that standard of mouse usage. What I've decided to do here is talk about a few games that I have been able to enjoy, and even offer advice about how to make gameplay even more fulfilling for the handicapped gamer.

So, without further ado, here is my list of PC games that I have been comfortably able to enjoy, plus my (hopefully) useful advice:

I'll start with my favorites:

1.) Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn + Throne of Bhaal expansion (BioWare)

10 out of 10 for accessibility.

• It was originally released on 4 CDs (which had to be switched for different geographical locations in the game), but when you install the Throne of Bhaal expansion, you only need to have that CD in to play the entire game.
  
• Putting the fact that this is one of the greatest games ever aside, this game is one of the most accessible games ever made. There is absolutely nothing that hinders my ability to play it, except for one slight detail, which I will elaborate on.
  
• The only difficulty I ever encountered was creating a character name. Unlike Neverwinter Nights and the KOTOR games, BG2 does not have a random name generator: you need to type in your character's name, and you cannot proceed in the game until you do so. This baffled me for quite a few years, but then I discovered that there is a very simple way to overcome this problem.
• When you double-click the BG2 shortcut on your desktop, the menu screen appears. On the middle left, right below the "play" button, there is a button labeled "configure." Double- click that button to open the configuration screen. On that screen you will see a tab marked "display." Click on that tab, and on the right side of the screen is a box labeled "window." if you click it and then hit "ok" and then play the game, the game will open in a window. If you have the standard on-screen keyboard, bring it up, and then enter your character's name when you've finished rolling up a new character. After you've finished that and watched the first few moments of the game, save your game, exit the game, go back to the configure screen, set the game back to "full screen" mode, and go back into the game. You'll be good to go.
  
• The only reason I have not included BG1 + TotSC is because it does not have a "window" option.
  

2.) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic I and II (Bioware and Obsidian)

9.8 out of 10 & 9.9 out of 10, respectively.

• Both games come with 4 CDs, which thankfully only need to be used for installation. After that, only the first CD of each game needs to be used to play.
• Yet again, some of the finest games ever made, as well, as some of the most accessible games ever made.
  
• Just FYI, but I'm currently testing the beta release of the KOTOR II cut-content restoration mod. Check it out here.
• One nice thing is that you don't need to type a name, as the game has a name generator.
• Typing, will be required for entering save game names. I would recommend having someone help you type them. Have that person help you create several save games, so that you can have multiple spots to save your game as you play it. Do not have only one save game!
• The reason I rated KOTOR I slightly lower than the sequel is because the first game does not allow you to control your swoop in swoop racing, other than accelerating with the left mouse button. There is a part in the game where you are required to win a swoop race in order to advance the plot, but you only really need help avoiding obstacles during that particular race. Just have somebody hit the left and right keys on your keyboard to help you avoid the obstacles.
• KOTOR II, on the other hand, gives you full control of your swoop with the mouse: left button is accelerate, right button is jump, and you can maneuver your swoop left and right by moving the mouse left and right. Be quick, though!
• The only other thing I can think of is the parts where you have to man the gun turret. Just make sure the mouse sensitivity setting is turned all the way up.
• Also, make sure that the "mouse look" box is checked in the "gameplay" section of the "options" menu of the game. This allows you to move forward with the left mouse button, and control the cursor with the right mouse button.

I have described these games in detail because they are my favorites, and because I want everyone to be able to fully enjoy them regardless of physical ability.

Other games I recommend are the following:

• most RTS games, like Starcraft, the Warcraft series, the Age of Empires series.
• most RPGs published by Black Isle Studios (which has since become BioWare and Obsidian), like Neverwinter Nights, Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment.
• most turn-based strategy games, like the Civilization series and Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri.
• most old-school point-and-click adventure games, and even modern ones such as Syberia.

Games I don't recommend are the following:

• most FPS or TPS games like Doom and Quake (should be pretty straightforward), though in some such as Jedi Outcast, you can control the aiming, shooting, and the direction of movement with the mouse, while having a "lackey" (preferably a younger sibling) controlling the keyboard for you.
  
• Homeworld (you can't access the game menu with the mouse during gameplay).
• the Elder Scrolls games (though these can be enjoyed using my aforementioned "lackey" technique).
  
• most flights sims, such as Freespace, or, sadly, classics such as X-Wing and Tie-Fighter (though I have heard some DOSBox users saying they have played these games using only a mouse, but I'm not sure how they got it to work).
  

Almost all of these games will require typing save game names and player profile names, so expect to need some assistance at some point, unless you like playing BG2 in a window...

I hope this has been somewhat useful. In my next entry, I will talk about old-school games available on Steam and GameTap, and their accessibility. If you have questions regarding any of the games I have mentioned, please feel free to ask.

The main purpose of this blog will be to review the accessibility of PC games as they are published over the next few years. If you find any information that could help me in this endeavor, please let me know. I would really appreciate it. Thanks for your support.