Kikiriki Games – Barrier-free Game Studio

In the EU, 75% of blind people are unemployed. Employer’s psychosocial barriers and inexperience in employing blind people contribute to this. Additionally, there is lack of inclusive entertainment for said people. 99.98% of mobile games are inaccessible to the blind. The remaining games are exclusively for the blind and thus do not contribute to inclusion. 

The mission of project is to contribute to the inclusion of the visually impaired into mainstream society. The project purports that the best way is through interaction. The project team consists of a mix of sighted and blind colleagues and creates mobile games designed for blind and sighted players; thus, making blind people full members of society, working and having fun just like others. 

The project team is largely made up of people with visual impairments, and shows the general public that, thanks to assistive technology, blind people can often work in the same jobs as their sighted colleagues. As such, the positions of sound or game designer, translator, quality tester or marketing officer are held by blind people. 

The project created game "To the Dragon Cave" is an example of the involvement of blind people in game development. Based on the everyday experience of blind people navigating space by hearing only, it shows players that the world is colourful even when perceived only through sound. The game allows blind issues to be introduced to new venues, such as game festivals. 

Part of the projects mobile game development involves developing scalable solutions that ensure inclusion and accessibility in the game for players with different disabilities. These inclusive solutions can then be applied to other games, platforms, and applications that use gamification elements (e.g., sport trackers, e-learning programs).