Get Bad With Good Girls

Get Bad With Good Girls

For my User Experience Class at NYU Tandon we were divided into groups and asked to come up with a concept using augmented reality technology in a way that would be accessible to the blind. We had a real-world client named Gus and the firm Rose Digital to consult on the projects.

We ultimately delivered a game based on the NBC TV series Good Girls.

Team Members:

Lauren Busser
Dazhen Yang
Dylan Reitz

Stakeholders:

Gus Chalkias
Rose Digital

My Role:

Since I was also an Associate Editor at Tell-Tale TV and I had been reviewing the show for two seasons I was intimately familiar with the source material and assumed a project manager role helping flesh out aspects of the concept.

Problem Statement

I am a blind or vision-impaired user who cannot access a lot of AR games because they rely heavily on sight. Existing AR games are not compatible with screen readers so the content cannot be accessed.

Key Insights from User Interviews

We did an interview with Gus to see what he wanted from an AR experience and came up with five points to keep in mind:

  • Wishes he could play Pokemon Go
  • Love watching TV shows through audio description
  • Likes to explore in the city
  • Prefers escapist entertainment
  • Uses a screen reader and voice inputs

Main Pain Points

  • AR experiences rely heavily on sight.
  • Lots of utilitarian apps available, not enough entertainment
  • Most AR game round ups don’t focus on accessibility and the information is hard to find
  • Often when there is an accessible game, it’s directed specifically at blind or low-vision users not focused on inclusion.

The Concept

Given how much our client enjoyed TV and a good story, we started thinking about how we might provide that type of experience, and so we arrived at the following goal:

How might we create an accessible AR experience that is focused on entertainment and connection that also gives a new way to engage in content that is already available?

We started to think about this solution by looking at other media tie-in games that had been released and started thinking about their frameworks. We found three notable ones that served as frameworks.

Defiance (2012)
  • MMO released in tandem with a television series
  • Players played through scenarios that were depicted in the show.
  • However, the game did not change the shows outcome.
Temple Run: Brave (2012)
  • A Disney/Pixar iteration of the popular mobile game Temple Run
  • Players assumed the role of Merida running from a bear and had to hit archery targets.
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind (2020)
  • Console game based off the BBC series.
  • Players helped the main character pull off a heist in a time-based game.
  • Took inspiration from a quote from the show.

Our Solution

A mobile navigational AR game with a media tie-in, NBC’s Good Girls, that supplements the story with haptic and audio cues for inclusion and accessibility with play-at-home options.

This not only provides accessible entertainment, but also a built-in audience with the use of licensed content.

Good Girls follows three women, Beth, Annie, and Ruby, who are down on their luck and decide to rob a Fine & Frugal just once. It takes a turn, and the three moms get entangled with a gang that launders counterfeit money. They get deeper and deeper into the criminal enterprise but try very hard to hold onto their humanity.

Game Play

Players take on the persona of an undercover agent who is in pursuit of Beth, Annie, and Ruby. The player will help them pull off ridiculous heists while keeping a record of their investigation. 

It’s a navigational game with the following objectives:

  • Use local markers to unlock chapters
  • Walk to earn experience points
  • Complete tasks to earn achievements

We’ll use an accessible navigation API as the base, tag different types of establishments (grocery stores, bars, parks, etc.) When a player passes a marker the next key to the story is unlocked. 

Since crime is not usually done out in the open on this show, users can obtain items through daily activities and engage with the story in the comfort of their home.

Accessibility Considerations

1.

Give key points of interest to direct players for navigation with distance markers. 

2.

While the game will have a visual interface, every element should be accessible via screenreader.

3.

Haptic feedback options should also be available for navigational gameplay.

Reasons to Pursue This Type Of Content

When we were working on this concept we took into consideration the state of the entertainment industry. With COVID-19 shutdowns the industry took a hit, with many suspending productions indefinitely. We believed developing a game as this would:

  • Creating a licensed app gives you a built-in audience.
  • Help the audience alleviate content drought.
  • Voice content would allow for actors to work during periods of social distance.
  • For stakeholders, develping this type of content once could provide a framework that would transfer to multiple titles and create a wider revenue stream.

Next Steps

  • Aquire license to use characters in the creation of new content
  • Flesh out the option to play at home
  • Add a puzzle-solving or RPG game
  • Designing ways to build a social community and connective element.