Game Jam 4 All, organised in partnership with Tencent Europe and University of Staffordshire, brought together students from the University’s London and Stoke-on-Trent campuses to create fully playable games designed to be accessible to the widest possible audience.
The game jam began with talks and panel discussions on accessibility in gaming from industry leaders and advocates. Speakers included Charlotte Nichols MP, Nick Poole OBE from Ukie, Stephane Decroix from Tencent Games, accessibility advocate Mathew Allcock aka ‘the Wobbly Gamer’, Iva Randelshofer from Ubisoft, Craig Donovan from Lucid Games and Maddy Meeson from SpecialEffect.
Throughout the week, participants explored innovative approaches to inclusive design, including simplified yet flexible control schemes, visual styles designed for clarity and contrast, spatial audio to support player awareness, and customisable settings that allow players to tailor their gameplay experience.
With more than 3.3 billion people worldwide playing video games, the organisers say events like Game Jam 4 All demonstrate how accessibility and great gameplay can go hand in hand.
Professor Chris Headleand, Head of Staffordshire Games Institute, said:
“When we design for accessibility, we don’t limit creativity – we expand who gets to play. Inclusive design challenges developers to think more thoughtfully and create experiences that work for a wider range of players.”
Working in teams, students from Staffordshire Games Institute developed games around the theme of community and accessibility, culminating in presentations to a panel of industry judges.
The winning teams were Different Page Games from Stoke-on-Trent and Guiding Signal from the London campus, with The Polos and Evil Meat named as runners-up.
Second-year Games Art student Veronika Kondratiuk said: “We started by planning what we wanted to include, from mechanics and visuals to how we would approach accessibility in a meaningful way. It was intense but exciting working under a tight deadline. It really pushes you to communicate clearly, make fast decisions and trust your team.
“Throughout the week I saw so many creative and impressive projects coming together. The energy in the room was amazing. I genuinely enjoyed the whole experience and learned so much in just one week.”
Discover more about Staffordshire Games institute at www.staffs.ac.uk/go/games.