Deaf play: Social play and signed communication among deaf gamers in co-located environments

Curtis, Maximilian, Gould, Sandy J.J. and Finnegan, Daniel J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1169-2842 2026. Deaf play: Social play and signed communication among deaf gamers in co-located environments. Presented at: BritCHI 2026, London, UK, 1-3 November 2026. Proceedings of the BCS British HCI 2026. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Co-located multiplayer gaming experiences feature continuous, low-effort verbal communication, creating hidden barriers for Sign Language Users. Prior work on mixed hearing-deaf groups documents multimodal communication strategies; combining spoken communication, non-sign gesturing, and text-based chat systems. This leaves a gap in our understanding of how communication occurs in non-spoken contexts, where text-based modalities are impractical such as for groups composed of only sign language users in co-located environments. Without understanding these contexts, designers risk excluding d/DHH players from social experiences in games. We present an observational study of primary sign language users to show how two interacting constraints, manual encumbrance on the hands from having to hold the controllers, and competing visual attention between players and on-screen play, affect Deaf communication in a co-located gaming environment. We introduce a model describing how Deaf players negotiate attention, encumbrance, and communication timing during co-located play.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item - published (Paper)
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Computer Science & Informatics
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	29 July 2026
Last Modified:	04 Aug 2026 21:25
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/188609

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