Fun For Everyone

A look at accessibility in gaming

Anyone should be able to play video games.

That statement seems simple enough but to certain individuals it carries more weight. People can be impacted by disabilities in numerous ways that can sometimes make their hobbies difficult. Video games have come a long way from 8-bit graphics and simple button presses. With so many complex pieces, it can be difficult for people with disabilities to complete games in the same way as most consumers. Luckily, games have made several great strides when it comes to accessibility.

Let's start by taking a look at settings for visual impairments. The most common accessibility feature I've noticed consists of making elements on screen high contrast against the background. This can be great for action games where you may have multiple enemies on the screen at once. A text to speech feature is also helpful. These can be used to read out game menus or just simply describe the action that is taking place on screen so that the player understands how to continue.

There's also the inclusion of subtitles. Some petals have been a part of games for a while now, but in recent years companies have started to allow a player to change the size of the text or the color in order to make the words easier to read. Most games have audio cues as well for specific enemies. As far as games for individuals who are completely blind, there are a handful here and there. However, most of them are older computer games that might have a hard time being supported on newer hardware. I hope that with the larger focus on accessibility in the industry these games might be able to be remade so they can be experienced with ease. The most notable title in recent years comes from Canadian game studio Falling Squirrel. Featuring a blind protagonist, The Vale is a game that relies on audio cues and haptic feedback in the players controller to tell the story.

There's are just some of the features available for visually impaired players in Marvel's Spider-Man. Insomniac Games have promised an even more extensive list of options in the sequel.

When it comes to hearing impairments, it seems that games tend to rely on visual accommodations to also help individuals who may be hard of hearing. While this is an excellent start, I found myself disappointed when I started to research specific solutions. It seems as though most games rely on making the subtitles easy to read and possibly allowing additional subtitles for sounds and audio cues. There is also often an option to set specific volumes for sound types in order to prevent someone from me coming over stimulated. Once again, an excellent start but not what I expected. I hope the industry continues to expand and think of new and innovative ways for hearing impaired players to join in on the fun.

Accessibility features usually focus on individuals with disabilities that affect fine motor skills. This particular issue is something that I struggle with, so I'm able to make use of quite a few features of newer games. I have an issue with my reaction time so being able to hold a button instead of tapping it repeatedly makes a big difference. I also tend to use camera assist features and lock-on- aiming if I'm playing a single player game.

When I reviewed God of War Ragnarök, I gave it high praise for having the most accessibility features I'd ever seen for a single title. By changing certain control inputs, I was able to not only complete the main story but take on some of the more difficult challenges. Fights that would have been impossible were now manageable with some practice and skill improvement. It didn't mean that the game was too easy or that I automatically won every fight. It simply allowed me to even the playing field and not allow my disability to spoil my fun. I no longer had to worry if I would be physically capable of playing and instead could focus on learning the games mechanics so I could grow my skill naturally.

God of War Ragnarok is one of my favorite games I've played this year. Thanks to accessibility features, I was able to enjoy all that the title had to offer.

The importance of accessibility in the industry has also spilled over into specific hardware. In 2018, Xbox released their Adaptive Controller, a rectangular base with two larger buttons and a D-Pad. This base has numerous inputs that allows the user to attach additional joysticks or buttons to fully customize the controller with adaptive pieces. It took five years for PlayStation to follow suit. The PlayStation Access controller also has a modular design and is set to be released in December of 2023.

I've been wanting to cover this topic since I started this blog, but I of course want to do it in a respectful manner. I do not have a vision or hearing impairment and so cannot fully understand what it is like. However, I will always get excited to hear of ways that a favorite hobby of mine has become more inclusive. By focusing on accessibility, the industry has a chance to break new ground in entertainment. Gaming can become a hobby for all individuals. When accessibility is made a priority, the statement shifts from I’m not sure I can play that to What will I play next?

This post was written by Vanessa Hart, creator of Deep Dive Gaming.