Game Information
| Title | Sidewalk Saver |
| Presenter(s) | Jeroen Wauters and Frederik Windey |
| Session | Conference Reception, Game Exhibition, and Poster Session |
| Time | Thursday, October 9, 6:00p-8:00p |
| Location | East Lansing Technology Innovation Center |
| Format | Game Exhibition |
| Description | A while ago, the accessibility board of the city of Louvain started a campaign to sensitize its inhabitants about disabilities -- and more specifically, the accessibility issues that are experienced on a day to day basis by people with disabilities. The aim was to teach people what simple steps they could take themselves to make life easier on people with disabilities, most notably visual impairments or paraplegia. Examples include keeping the sidewalk clear of carelessly placed garbage bags, not parking bicycles on guiding tiles for people with visual impairments, and so on. It quickly became apparent that people were not of ill will in this matter, but that they simply did not realize their actions were causing difficulties for people with impairments.
Therefore, a decision was made to explain these issues to the general public (and more specifically to the students constituting a large section of Louvain’s population) by means of a video game. The aim of this game would thus be to explain to people what issues there are, what countermeasures exist, and how they can be considerate themselves. Enter Sidewalk Saver, a puzzle game with strategy elements. The basic premise of the game is to guide a group of disables people, called pawns, from a starting point in the city of Leuven to some end destination. There are two types of pawns, blind pawns and wheelchair pawns, each with limitations and skills comparable to those of real disabled people. |