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As participation in game related activities increases around the world and across a larger part of the population, it is obvious that games are not just an entertainment medium for children or young people. Games can be used to accomplish different purposes for different groups of people in society. Developing a universal designed game involves more than adding a cast of diverse characters. Games with universal design, at their core, are experiences that are designed from the ground up to be accessible to everyone – through mechanics, options, and user experience. This book explains the meaning and need for universal design in video games and sheds light on important disciplines. Researchers define a universal designed game as a video game that actively welcomes all players. When players connect authentically with a video game, they're much more likely to engage with the content. Conversely, when players can't physically play a game, or don't see characters that look like them, they feel isolated and miss out on beneficial opportunities to learn and collaborate. Universal design maximizes the impact of playing games, for instance, by ensuring that they're accessible, empowering and representative for every participant.

Inclusive design, universal design and universal access are long standing, familiar terms with clear and laudable goals. However, their teaching and industrial uptake has been very limited. Many products still exclude users unnecessarily for reasons ranging from corporate insensitivity and the size of the market for inclusive products to the individual designer's inability to design them. This pragmatic approach to making inclusive design desirable to industry addresses these issues and discusses why existing methods have failed to be assimilated into industry. Through the use of case studies and examples, Countering Design Exclusion introduces the mind-set necessary to think through the challenges raised by inclusive design and to adapt their solutions to the needs of particular companies. The practical outlook will appeal to anyone who wishes to take account of the largest possible part of the population in their designs.