  Games are a popular form of entertainment. However, many computer games
present unnecessary barriers to players with sensory, motor and cognitive
impairments. In order to overcome such pitfalls, an awareness of their impact
and a willingness to apply inclusive design practice is often necessary. The
Global Game Jam offers a potential avenue to promote inclusive design practices
to students of game development. As such, this paper evaluates the impact of an
initiative to promote inclusive design practices during the 2014 Global Game
Jam. An attitude questionnaire was distributed to both participants and
non-participants at one event venue. The results indicate that, having enrolled
in the initiative, students' attitudes improved. Furthermore, all attendees
reported they were likely to pursue further learning opportunities and consider
accessibility issues in their future games. This suggests that the Global Game
Jam, and other similar events, present an attractive avenue to promote
inclusive design practice within the context of digital game development.
However, further analysis of submitted games, additional qualitative inquiry
and a large-scale trial are needed to determine impact on practice and to form
recommendations for future events.
