The DeanBeat: Inside Microsoft’s Inclusive Technologies Lab

Microsoft’s Inclusive Technologies Lab is full of insightful ideas about how to enable as many people as possible to enjoy video games. One of them is a game controller that is really, really heavy. It is meant to give game designers an idea of what it’s like for a person without strong hands to use a typical controller.

And on the wall is a sign that says, “When you do not intentionally, deliberately include … you will unintentionally exclude.” The lab is meant to change the perspective of game designers and challenge their assumptions about what accessibility really means. Bryce Johnson and Evelyn Thomas took me on an exclusive tour of the lab this week, and they showed me the work they are doing to make gaming more inclusive for people with disabilities.