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The Hidden Barriers in Game UI – and How to Spot Them

Most educational game developers know the basics of accessibility: add alt text, check contrast ratios, and support keyboard input. But beyond those essentials, there’s a second layer of UI design decisions – subtle, structural, and often invisible to those without firsthand experience of disability. These “hidden barriers” aren’t flashy. They’re baked into everyday assumptions about…

// Brandon Pittser

The Limits of Automated Accessibility Testing in Games

For many digital products, automated accessibility tools like axe, Lighthouse, or WAVE can catch common issues such as poor color contrast, missing alt text, or improper focus order. These tools serve an important role in a complete accessibility pipeline. They work well for documents, websites, and apps that follow structured layouts and predictable user flows.…

// Brandon Pittser

Designing for POUR: How Accessibility Principles Can Elevate Educational Games

Earlier this week, we published a glossary of WCAG 2.1 AA terms for game developers – a plain-language breakdown of the technical vocabulary behind today’s most important accessibility standards. In that post, we briefly introduced the POUR framework: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust. Now we’re following up with a deeper dive. POUR offers a flexible design…

// Brandon Pittser

Accessibility Terms for Game Developers: A WCAG 2.1 AA Glossary

Meeting WCAG 2.1 AA standards is a requirement for many game-based learning tools used in schools or public agencies, and compliance is a complex process. Even experienced developers and designers might come across terms like programmatic labeling or pointer cancellation without being clear on what they actually require. Fortunately, we’re here to help! This glossary…

// Brandon Pittser

what’s new in game-based learning – june 2025

Summer break is near, but the momentum in game-based learning isn’t slowing down. From dopamine-driven design to coding clubs for girls, this month’s stories show how games are motivating learners, bridging skill gaps, and making a difference across industries and continents. Gamification’s Grip on Engagement A recent feature in Entrepreneur explains why gamification continues to…

// Brandon Pittser

Universal Design for Learning: A Framework for Inclusive Game Development

In game development, accessibility is often seen as a layer to add. Universal Design for Learning flips that mindset. It starts with the assumption that learners are diverse – and builds flexibility into every part of the experience. Originally developed for classrooms, UDL has since become a powerful framework for designing anything that teaches. For…

// Brandon Pittser
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