Alien Invasion Game Review

Introduction

"Alien Invasion" is a video game that was created by a company called Arcess, which creates arcade games that are accessible for people with a wide range of disabilities.

Cost

The game is free. Registration is required, but that is free as well, and is as simple as entering your first and last name and e-mail address.

Compatibility

The site lists no other computer specifications other than the fact that the games are intended for use on PC's. However, with a total file size of less than 6 megs, the program should be compatible with most PC-based operating systems made since 1997 (which is when the company started creating these games).

Web site

The game, and two similar games, can be found at www.arcess.com.

UDL Guidelines

Alien Invasion has been specifically designed for people with disabilities including muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, and spinal injury, to name a few. They can be used by young children, as well as senior citizens who want to play games with their grandkids, or simply want to improve their manual dexterity. The game promotes hand-eye coordination, cause and effect relationships, as well as timing and anticipation for players.

Because it was written for a wide audience of users, Alien Invasion has functionality that allows for low-vision use, and can also be operated using:

• Single switch devices
• Expanded keyboard (e.g. Intellikeys)
• Keyboard
• Joystick
• Mouse
• Trackball
• Touch screen
• Some speech recognition programs

Additionally, the program can be modified using a variety of game characteristics such as the speed and the descent of the enemy ships, how quickly and how many bombs they will drop and even how many enemy ships there are. For the player, he can choose how many bullets he shoots at one time, how fast he can move and how many lives he has, among others.

All of these features allow the player to decide the level of difficulty he experiences while playing, thus increasing enjoyment and feelings of accomplishment. As an added bonus, in dual-player mode, each player can adjust his own settings. Thus people with very different physical abilities and reaction times can compete against each other, which can also help with self-esteem and the building of camaraderie and good sportsmanship. For instance a senior citizen with poor eyesight could play alongside his grandson who is improving his hand-eye coordination. Both can get equal enjoyment out of the game by setting their individual game levels.

Objectives

There are no curriculum objectives for this program, per se. However, the objective for this software is to provide as many people as possible the opportunity to play arcade-style video games, have fun and have a chance to be a kid. All the other lessons such as sportsmanship and hand-eye coordination are just icing on the cake for these players who can enjoy a rare opportunity to play a game that others take for granted.

Content

The content of the games are accurate and free of bias. Each player can set his or her own skill level by adjusting the options on the right side of the screen, and the sound effects are not vital to the play of the game.

Vocabulary

With the exception of the "Help" page, which contains all of the rules for the game, there is a minimum of text, which I would estimate at or below a fifth grade reading level. The Help page is a little more advanced and I would put this at roughly an 8th grade level.

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