Game QC and accessibility

What this lesson covers

1. 01

   QC before publish

   Check | Fail symptom

   Drag mission has a keyboard and single-pointer path (2.5.7, 2.1.1) | Drag-only completion

   Timers can be paused, extended or turned off (2.2.1) | No way to get more reading time

   One primary mechanic per beat | Animation, sort and quiz stacked on one screen

   Fail-state text visible in both languages | Arabic layout covers the feedback

   No flashing above three times per second (2.3.1) | Flashing alarm effect

2. 02

   A drag mission is not accessible because it is pretty

   WCAG 2.2 requires another way to complete any dragging action. A warehouse path the learner can only draw with a pointer fails, however careful the art. Ship a keyboard list that performs the same steps in the same order with the same feedback. Timers need pause and extend, because reading Arabic or reading in a second language may take longer.

3. 03

   Pass only if both paths work

   Before publish, complete the mission once with a pointer and once with the keyboard, in Arabic and in English. If the keyboard path skips a step or the Arabic layout covers the fail-state text, block publish. A pause control that exists only in the English file is the same defect.

4. 04

   Motion, flashing and cognitive load in games

   Games tend to add motion. WCAG 2.3.1 forbids content that flashes more than three times in any one-second period above the general flash threshold. Parallax, shaking screens and zoom effects can cause discomfort for people with vestibular disorders; respect the operating system's "reduce motion" setting where the platform allows. Beyond compliance, check cognitive load: if a mission adds a timer, a scoring panel, a mini-map and a character on top of the decision, ask which of these the learner needs to make the decision.

5. 05

   Add the accessibility path

   Add the keyboard path, timer controls and motion rules to your mission design, and write the two-path, two-language test you will run before publish.