Platform standardisation improves accessibility across contemporary gaming ecosystems, but it also shapes which forms of accessible play are recognised as legitimate. This Perspectives on Play paper introduces the accessibility paradox of platform standardisation: the same infrastructures that support accessibility can constrain adaptation and community-led solutions. I argue that accessibility is not solely a technical challenge but also a question of authority, legitimacy, and governance.
@inproceedings{AccessibilityParadox,note={Perspectives on Play},title={The {{Accessibility Paradox}}: {{Platform Standardisation}} and the {{Legitimacy}} of {{Play}}},shorttitle={The {{Accessibility Paradox}}},booktitle={Companion {{Proceedings}} of the {{Annual Symposium}} on {{Computer-Human Interaction}} in {{Play}}},author={Burnett, Jack},year={2026},month=nov,series={{{CHI PLAY Companion}} '26},pages={492--495},publisher={Association for Computing Machinery},address={New York, NY, USA},doi={10.1145/3800965.3834658},urldate={2026-10-27},isbn={979-8-4007-2565-4},keywords={Accessibility,Game Accessibility,Platformisation,Standardisation},}
Playing under constraint, whether due to disability, financial limitations, technological obsolescence, or other factors, is a widespread but under-examined aspect of gaming culture. We introduce “impaired technologies” (damaged peripherals such as cracked screens, controllers with missing buttons, and faulty speakers) as design provocations to explore what happens when the affordances available for play “shrink.” Drawing on Dokumaci’s concepts of “affordance shrinkage” and “activist affordances,” we hosted a two-day public game jam where participants (n=9) first played existing games on impaired technologies, then designed their own games inspired by the experience. We identified six adaptive play strategies improvised under constraint, and three design themes, transforming “bugs” into features, embedding constraint within gameplay, and prioritizing fun over challenge. Our findings position constrained play as a site of creativity and agency, with implications for accessibility, jank, sub-optimal hardware gaming, and inclusive design.
@inproceedings{DesigningImpairedTechnologies,note={Work in Progress},title={Designing with {{Impaired Technologies}}: {{A Game Jam}} of {{Constraints}} and {{Affordance Shrinkage}}},shorttitle={Designing with {{Impaired Technologies}}},booktitle={Companion {{Proceedings}} of the {{Annual Symposium}} on {{Computer-Human Interaction}} in {{Play}}},author={Lo, Priscilla Y. and Stangroome, Grace Jane and Joshi, Vishal and Burnett, Jack and Thue, David and Bennett, Dan and Metatla, Oussama},year={2026},month=nov,series={{{CHI PLAY Companion}} '26},pages={66--73},publisher={Association for Computing Machinery},address={New York, NY, USA},doi={10.1145/3800965.3834287},urldate={2026-10-27},isbn={979-8-4007-2565-4},keywords={accessibility,adaptive,game design,game jam,impairment,inclusion,play styles},}
How can we design inclusive games that appeal to gamers with different abilities? This workshop invites the CHI PLAY community to play with constraints and conceptualize games that enable forms of play beyond conventional patterns. We build on our prior work that applies the concept of “impaired technologies” as a design provocation in a game jam to encourage alternative perspectives on play. Participants will create multiplayer games that are played with impaired technologies or, as an extension, that use novel interactions. We aim to engage researchers and practitioners interested in designing playful prototypes, including digital games, immersive experiences, tangible toys, and game controllers.
@inproceedings{PlayingWithConstraints,note={Workshop Proposal},title={Playing with {{Constraints}}: {{Designing Inclusive Games}} and {{Controllers}}},shorttitle={Playing with {{Constraints}}},booktitle={Companion {{Proceedings}} of the {{Annual Symposium}} on {{Computer-Human Interaction}} in {{Play}}},author={Lo, Priscilla Y. and Stangroome, Grace and Joshi, Vishal and Burnett, Jack and Thue, David and Metatla, Oussama},year={2026},month=nov,series={{{CHI PLAY Companion}} '26},pages={573--575},publisher={Association for Computing Machinery},address={New York, NY, USA},doi={10.1145/3800965.3834573},urldate={2026-10-27},isbn={979-8-4007-2565-4},keywords={accessibility,game jam,inclusion,playful embodiment}}
2024
pro²
Democratised Modular Controller Production
Jack Burnett
In pro² network+ Device Prototyping and Production Summer School, Jul 2024
£1,000 award for greatest potential impact, pro² network+ Device Prototyping and Production Summer School 2024.
This research aims to democratise accessible controller production through a modular leverless controller that users can design and modify with low technical knowledge requirements; this should benefit individuals with degenerative illnesses.
@inproceedings{DemocratisedControllerProduction,note={Summer School Paper},title={Democratised Modular Controller Production},author={Burnett, Jack},booktitle={{pro² network+} Device Prototyping and Production Summer School},organization={{pro² network+}},address={Lancaster, UK},month=jul,year={2024},}
Democratised Modular Controller ProductionIn pro² network+ Device Prototyping and Production Summer School, Jul 2024Summer School Paper