Aaron Preece
When we speak of accessibility, we almost always focus on the accessibility of relatively static apps, software and websites. With resources such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) providing solutions for most elements one might find in traditional interfaces, accessibility across these mediums looks quite similar and most access issues have been solved.
Due to their complex visual nature and varying mechanics, implementing accessibility into a video game for someone who is disabled can be a much more difficult task. That being said, in the past 5 or so years, providing wide ranging accessibility has become almost mainstream, with many AAA titles including customization options aiming to even the playing field for people with disabilities.
In this article, we will provide an introduction to game accessibility, its intricacies, history, and some specific examples for implementing accessibility for a range of disabilities, with a focus on providing access for those who are blind or have low vision.
History
There's a reason we are bringing attention to this topic now. Historically, accessible video games were not considered by mainstream developers, or when they were, they were incredibly few and far between and very niche. The most famous example of an early attempt at an accessible game was Real Sound: Kaze no Regret, released in 1997 for the Sega Saturn. The game was specifically developed because the programmer heard from gamers who were blind or have low vision that they specifically appreciated his games for their rich soundscapes which allowed them to make headway in playing the games with sound alone. Otherwise, most accessible games were created by hobbyists, most commonly people who had disabilities themselves, either individually or on very small teams. An example of an early audio based game developed by a blind developer was 2001's Shades of Doom. This game aimed to provide a similar experience to the popular first-person shooters of the day and was arguably a tremendous success. The game was one of the first audio games to provide a similar experience to that which was available to sighted gamers.
In addition to developing their own audio based games or other adaptive games, hobbyist developers have also begun creating modifications or mods for existing video games to make them accessible. An early example of this was 2005's Audio Quake, which brought accessibility to the original quake video game. Probably the most famous example to date, is the Hearthstone Access mod for Blizzard's Hearthstone collectible card game. The Hearthstone Access mod has allowed blind or low vision players to compete on equal footing to their sighted counterparts, making it a landmark in accessible gaming. During the 2010s independent video game developers began adding accessibility where feasible to their games. To see the effect of this, check out the AppleVis directory of accessible games for iOS. As you can see, many small games have been made accessible since smartphone gaming became available with the release of Apple's voiceover screen reader in 2009.
The first AAA video game to include full accessibility was 2020's The Last of Us Part II. There had been attempts by mainstream AAA game developers to add accessibility to games previously, but The Last of Us 2 was the first time that a developer went above and beyond to attempt to make their game playable to as many people as possible. The game includes a massive and extensive set of accessibility options to aid gamers from a wide array of disabilities. Since this release, other games have followed suit including 2022's God of War Ragnarok and 2023's Diablo IV. Much like the explosion of audio description availability that occurred after Netflix made efforts to include as much audio description in their programming as possible, the release of The Last of Us II's accessibility options have spurred other developers to include similarly extensive accessibility suites in their own games.
The Importance of Text
Adding accessibility to video games can be a complex and involved process considering the number of disabilities one must consider when making adaptations. That being said, one of the most important and universal aspects of game accessibility is to ensure that all game text can be read by as many people as possible. Many games can be made entirely accessible by making sure that the text itself can be read by people with varying disabilities. One benefit to this is that it is also possible to use existing guidelines on text accessibility when designing video games. Something like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is a good start. When considering how to make your game's text accessible for those who will be reading the printed text but might have difficulty doing so, such as those with dyslexia or with low vision, consider allowing adjustments to text such as font, color, foreground and background color, text speed (when appropriate), and size.
In addition, when making game text accessible to those who cannot otherwise read the text, it is important that all text be spoken aloud in some form. When developing a game for Windows PCs, as well as the mobile platforms iOS and Android, it is possible to make the game interact with the user's screen reader so that text is read aloud using a user's preferred voice, speed, inflection and personal dictionary. When it is required to create a screen reader for your game from scratch, it is important to keep these features in mind as well. Be sure to include options for adjusting text rate, pitch, volume, and voice if applicable. In addition, consider how a screen reader interacts with text in normal apps. For example when moving through a list of items, it is important that when I navigate from one item to another that text playback is stopped for the previous item and starts for the next item even if the previous item has not been fully read. This small feature drastically improves efficiency when navigating through textual items.
Some types of text information might be requested at specific times. Think of a video game that has statistics for something like health, stamina, or ammunition. A user might not want these items read all the time, but would like to check them on the fly. In this case, it can be useful to assign a key to read these types of values.
Accessibility Overview, Multiple Disabilities
In this section we'll be detailing some things you can do to make games more accessible for a range of different disabilities.
Cognitive disabilities
With cognitive disabilities being such a wide ranging number of potential conditions, the types of adaptations that might help specific users vary widely. This article provides a solid rundown on many of these possibilities. There are some more straightforward solutions that will aid specific groups of people. Consider following guidelines from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and other organizations in regards to seizure causing visuals. These visuals are similar in video gaming as they would be in relatively static images or traditional videos allowing there to be robust guidelines as to what choices could be made.
Hearing Loss
When adapting content for someone with a loss of hearing, consider if there are specific sounds in the game that must be heard by players. In the game Alien: Isolation, listening for the approach of the alien or other enemies and being careful what sounds you make are key components. Allowing a user to toggle a feature that will display visual cues for required sounds will help in these areas. In addition, all spoken dialogue should be transcribed in text. This is common for cutscenes but less so for something like non-player characters who speak as you pass by or guards shouting to each other as you're infiltrating a military installation.
If possible, it is very useful to include real-time translation of voice messaging for cooperative or player versus player games. Improvements in technology makes automating this process easier than ever.
Motor
When considering adaptations for those with motor disabilities, be sure to support various peripherals such as sip and puff devices or switches when possible. Microsoft has created an adaptive xbox controller which has a modular design so that it can be adapted by people with different types of physical disabilities. Because of this and similar technologies such as the one-handed controller, be sure that all game controls are configurable to the user's preference.
Consider allowing the adjustment of time required to react to specific actions. As an example, take the instance in many games where a user must press a series of buttons at specific times, commonly called a quick time event, to progress. Consider allowing users to adjust the timing of these types of events or to allow problematic content to be skipped or automatically completed when adaptation is impossible.
Low vision
When thinking of the needs of those with relatively high functioning low vision, who will not be relying primarily on sound to play your game, contrast and visibility are key. Consider following WCAG guidelines on game text in regards to color and contrast, while for games themselves, consider allowing users to adjust colors to their preference or include high contrast modes. Consider using bright colors for certain objects that might need to be tracked-something that can be toggled by an individual player. As an example of the use of bright colors for objects, take a look at the player-selectable outlines around certain objects in Diablo IV.
Basics for Including Accessibility for Those Who Are Blind
Including accessibility for those who are completely blind in a video game can be a complex task. In this section we'll be reviewing some simple solutions that can be implemented for common game elements.
One of the simplest methods that can be used to communicate information is the use of panning audio. This means that sounds that come from the left of the player come from the left speaker while sounds from the right come from the right speaker. A player will know when they are close to a given object, or in line with an object when that object sound emits from the center of both speakers. The very first Super Mario Brothers game makes for a good example. In the very first level the player must run right along a 2D plane. The first obstacle the player encounters is an enemy approaching them from the right to the left. This enemy can be made identifiable to someone who is blind or low vision by playing a continuous sound for the enemy's position or even simply playing something like a footstep as the enemy approaches. This allows the player to know the distance between their character and the enemy. In the case of Super Mario Brothers, the player can then jump and center the sound of the enemy beneath them to defeat it. This works well for many situations, but in some cases extra information is needed, such as when something is behind or below the player. Consider a horror game. If a player hears the sound of an approaching monster and needs to escape from it, they will need to determine if that creature is in front of them or behind them to know which way to run. One way to do this is by adjusting the pitch of objects that are either behind or below the player.
Oftentimes, two dimensional games that have vertical movement will have objects have their sounds played at a lower pitch when they are below the character while they play at a regular pitch when they're at the same level of the character or a higher pitch when they are above the character. Likewise in games where the player is being seen from the top down, or from a first person view, lowering the pitch of sounds behind can alert the player which way they're facing and the position of objects around them. To illustrate this, we have prepared a recording demonstrating the navigation and sound options in the popular Manamon audio role playing game. Notice that sounds that are to the south of the player or behind them in many cases are played at a lower pitch. Objects ahead of or to the north of the player or on the same north south axis as the player are played at a slightly higher pitch. The game also makes use of panning to determine if objects are to the left or to the right of the player. Note that in this game in particular, objects give off a continuous sound to indicate their position. This is just one method for providing information about nearby objects.
Consider this alternative method used in the audio role playing game A Hero's Call. Note that sounds only play when conditions around the player change instead of constantly playing. Both methods are equally valid. Also consider the extra navigation options provided by both of these games. Manamon, which relies on the user navigating maze like areas as a key part of gameplay, does not provide too many extra navigation options aside from ambient sounds or the flyers that can be left by players to mark positions in confusing areas. On the other hand, A Hero's Call, which is much more focused on the combat between player and environment, has a beacon system for navigating its complex environments so that a player can focus on the role playing aspects and not concern themselves with navigating if they do not wish to reach specific goals.
Resources
- Able Gamers, A foundation focused on promoting video gaming among people with disabilities through a number of programs
- Can I Play That? an online resource which includes a database of games and their access features
- AudioGames.Net, a site containing a database of hundreds of games completely accessible to people who are blind or have low vision. The site also includes an active forum where accessible games are discussed and new releases are announced.
