Designing Inclusive Virtual Reality Experiences

Virtual Reality experiences are often touted as having the most immersive user experience possible outside of live action, yet Virtual Reality (VR) technology is often not designed to be inclusive to all users. From mild sim sickness effects to a lack of accessible controls, many users are being left out from the modern virtual reality experience. There are however tools available to the developer that will make inclusive VR design a possibility. While many of the tools for inclusive VR experiences are physical hardware-based solution there are also what Doug Church describes as “Formal Abstract Design Tools” that are conceptual tools that can be applied in this case to allow a designer to think through making their experience design inclusive [1]. The goals of this journal paper are to provide a primer for those approaching inclusive game design. The researchers will cite current research, discuss existing accessibility forward technologies, and highlight areas that need more attention to assure a more inclusive VR experience.