Ruthie Edwards (BFA ‘10) is an experience designer and animator who’s dedicated herself to developing more accessible digital interfaces and experiences for disabled users. In her spare time, she’s also an enthusiastic video game designer who’s led panels on accessibility at VCU and MAGfest, the Music And Gaming Festival. In May, she’ll graduate from the VCU Brandcenter with a master’s degree in Experience Design.
To learn more about her work, VCUarts reached out to her with a few questions.
What led you to VCU’s Brandcenter, and to the Experience Design track?
After graduating Kinetic Imaging in the midst of a recession, I was frustrated with the lack of upward mobility I was finding. I was hopping laterally from job to job, but I never felt like I had a career. I taught college classes, I designed marketing for a gift store, I did animation and illustration for a startup, and I did freelance motion graphics on the side, but none of these felt like I was advancing. The Brandcenter has given me so much optimism about my career. The Experience Design track—like Kinetic Imaging—is multidisciplinary, so I get to apply my entire skillset to projects. So, whether I’m designing user flows for service design, thinking about the customer experience in a museum, or designing multi-platform interfaces for apps, I see where each of the myriad creative skills I’ve accumulated can be applied.
When did you become more interested in accessibility within video game design?
I became interested in accessibility by accident, really. In 2017 I did a game jam (a 48-hour hackathon for games) and challenged myself to make a one-button game just for fun. When I put it online, one of the leading accessibility advocates got interested. He put it on a website full of other one-button games that is really important to people with limited mobility, because it gives them a range of games that they can play with just one finger, foot, elbow, etc.
Ruthie Edwards recently spoke on a panel about accessible game design at MAGFest in D.C.
Is there a recent game that you think shows how developers are positively approaching the challenge of accessible design?
I recently checked out Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End from the VCU library (yes, the library has a great games collection!) and was really impressed with how developer Naughty Dog balanced accessibility with difficulty. You can really fine-tune the options within the game to fit your playing style perfectly. Even as a non-disabled person, I found all these options helpful. Beyond basic necessities like subtitles and colorblind filters, they included features like auto-aim and the ability to turn button-mashing off, which makes it easier (and less annoying) for everyone to enjoy the lush environment and story.
How can other tech industries and fields learn from accessible game design?
On the web, there are already tons of accessibility standards that allow people with all kinds of disabilities to shop online, manage their banking, and anything else. It’s really sad that the games industry is lagging so far behind. This fall I met with the Association of Students with Disabilities and Chronic Conditions and I was surprised to see that despite how many accomodations VCU provides, there are still barriers like the awkward elevator placement at Shafer Court Dining Center.
Can you tell us more about this Pumputer piece on your website? Were you expecting that it’d get the attention that it did?
I built a computer inside of a pumpkin. It’s pretty straightforward. But I didn’t expect it to take off like that. One thing I did expect, though, were the people who asked me to play Doom on it (a first-person shooter from 1993). It’s a meme where people try to force the game onto incongruous hardware like thermostats, smartwatches or car entertainment systems. So I made another video of me playing Doom on the pumpkin, and that got a lot of retweets too.
How did your time at VCUarts in the Kinetic Imaging program shape your work and your practice today?
I came into Kinetic Imaging with animation and video editing skills already, but Kinetic Imaging taught me breadth. It introduced me to sound design and experimental media. It challenged me to learn art over craft. At first, it was frustrating, because I was expecting to learn more technical skills. But ultimately that sense of critical thinking has benefited me in all areas of my life, and I’ve taught myself the technical chops on the side.
Whether they’re funny, academic, time with friends or memories from the studio, are there any particularly memorable moments from your time in Kinetic Imaging?
I met my best friend Tyler Rhodes in Kinetic Imaging. Ten years later, we still hang out and make art all the time. I was a lab monitor in Kinetic Imaging so I saw a lot of shenanigans going on.
Edwards will help coordinate Global Game Jam for the fifth time this year in Richmond on January 25–27. This year’s event will feature special guest, Halfcoordinated, a competitive video game speedrunner who plays with only one hand. You can keep up with Edwards’ work at ruthieswebsite.com.
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