Blunkett: the computer game
- 17 Dec 04, 12:00 AM
Via the folks at , I've discovered what is possibly the first computer game based on the recent Blunkett scandal. It's called . Needless to say, ss soon as I caught the title I thought that this was going to be in very bad taste.
In the game, you play David Blunkett. It begins in a restaurant in Whitehall, where you're enjoying a quiet lunch without Sadie the guide dog by your side. Your mobile phone rings, summoning you to Downing Street for an urgent discussion about the nanny/visa scandal. You've got about a minute to get there and save your job, and it's up to the government official on the other end of the line to guide you with his instructions. The game involves you using the arrow keys on your keyboard to guide Blunkett round various obstacles as he races back to No.10. Of course, the crucial thing is that the screen remains completely black at all times.
It's a fascinating idea, and caused a great deal of interest here in the Ouch office. It's built in Flash which, as visually impaired readers know, can cause a lot of problems with screen-readers. However, turn off your screen-reader and follow the instructions telling you to go left, right or jump, and it seems to be playable.
So quite apart from being a cheeky take on the whole Blunkett saga (and we all know that we like a bit of cheekiness on Ouch), has shown what can be done towards making games that are more accessible. Give it a play yourself, and let us know what you think.
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