Breaking the Walls: Exploring Inclusion Through Video Gaming
This study was driven by my own lived experiences where my interests didn’t always align with the majority group. Video games were my entry into an included community. But there was limited research on the use of video games to improve interactions between able bodied and disabled people. Some research suggested that video games might be bad for people. Other research suggested that video games may be an opportunity for people to work cooperatively and there may be good reasons to play them. The research literature seemed to disagree about the value of video games. This study assessed the quality of interactions when able and disabled people played video games together. The research used a multimethod research design. Three tournaments using a cooperative video game were organized and ten participants were recruited and grouped together according to gaming skill level and matched by self-identification as abled or disabled. During the tournaments, video recordings were collected of the participants playing the game. Once the tournaments were concluded, video recordings were transcribed into written transcripts. Transcripts were analyzed for tone, attitude, affect, and conversational themes. Selected participant responses to the Connections During Conversation Scale (CDCS) were quantified. Several themes were identified, including cooperation (video game tips), support (words of encouragement), and happiness or connection (laughter). Findings suggested that participants enjoyed the interactions with their peers, engaged in high quality, positive conversations related to the game play, and reported mostly positive feelings about their experiences in the tournaments. More research is needed to understand how video games can contribute to inclusive spaces for people with disabilities.
inclusion, exclusion, disabilities, video games, social connection
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