Hi again,
I'm ttold now after sharing that there is a BBC programme on the matter
too:
'Unplayable: Disability and the Gaming Revolution'.
Just be careful at the start of the programme for some extraneous noises
as like me at first you may think that the programme is rights-
restricted which thankfully it is not.
Tony
-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: The Rise of Accessible Gaming
Date: Sat, 8 Oct 2022 07:00:27 +0100
From: Tony Sweeney <tonymsweeney@xxxxxxxxx>
To: vibistro@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The Rise of Accessible Gaming**
**
*from the Tech-VI announce emailing list. *
**
*
*
**The online gaming community is one of vibrance and *diversity*
<https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/newzoos-gamer-sentiment-diversity-inclusion-gender-ethnicity-sexual-identity-disability>.
It is also enormous: More than *216 million people in the U.S.*
<https://www.theesa.com/resource/2022-essential-facts-about-the-video-game-industry/>play
video games regularly, and the booming industry is expected to grow to
*$321 billion by 2026 globally*
<https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/industries/tmt/media/outlook/outlook-perspectives.html>.
Of the Americans that play video games, *46 million*
<https://www.wired.com/story/ablegamers-million-dollar-birthday-fundraiser/#:~:text=After%20all%2C%20Spohn%20says%20there,can%27t%20play%20popular%20games.>have
one or more disabilities. For all consumers to enjoy their favorite
video games, the games must be accessible to them. This need creates a
large demand for accessibility in the gaming space.
The History of Accessible Gaming
Historically, gaming has not been particularly welcoming to the
disability community. Gamers with disabilities were forced to adapt if
they wanted to play, *putting the onus on consumers to make gaming
accessible for themselves*
<https://www.washington.edu/doit/growth-accessibility-video-games>.
Developers have historically been hesitant to incorporate accessibility
best practices into their products. *There is often a fear that doing so
is expensive and interferes with the developersâ creative vision*
<https://www.gamesindustry.biz/accessibility-doesnt-hamper-a-vision-it-enhances-creativity>.
Accessibility has traditionally been considered an *afterthought for
developers*
<https://www.ft.com/content/793634be-e65f-4bbb-9aa7-5ac62e0fbd7c>,
making it an easy component to overlook. *Failing to consider
accessibility at the beginning of the design process makes accessibility
considerations much harder to integrate into a game.*
<https://www.3playmedia.com/resources/recorded-webinars/wbn-05-23-2019-oracle/>
The Rise in Gaming Accessibility
Game developers may have hesitated to consider accessibility in their
game design in past decades, but times are changing. The *boom in gaming
during the COVID-19 pandemic*
<https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/06/17/how-the-gaming-industry-has-leveled-up-during-the-pandemic/?sh=6ced63bb297c>gave
rise to an increase in gaming accessibility.
In an *Allied podcast episode*
<https://www.3playmedia.com/alliedpodcast/accessible-gaming-and-immersive-experiences/>on
this topic, gaming accessibility & localization expert *Belén Agulló
GarcÃa* <https://twitter.com/Belen_Translate>spoke to the rise in
accessibility in the industry:
âFor example, 20 years ago, you couldnât imagine a blind gamer, or a
gamer with low vision, or with hearing loss, or with reduced mobility,
that they would be able to play a game and enjoy it without barriers.
But now, itâs a reality. And I think thatâs super exciting, really. Itâs
amazing.â
People like Ian Hamilton, a UX designer & accessibility consultant who
specializes in game accessibility, are helping to minimize the
misconceptions around gaming accessibility.
Here are some *statistics*
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/02/25/how-accessibility-consultants-are-building-more-inclusive-video-game-industry-behind-scenes/>Hamilton
shares in the Washington Post about encounters with skeptics:
âThe âone-handed control option in Uncharted 4 was used by 1/3 (i.e.
millions) of their players,â Hamilton said. âSubtitles were turned off
by default in Assassins Creed: Origins [and] just over 60 percent of
players turned them on. So Ubisoft had them on by default in Assassins
Creed: Odyssey, and 95 percent of players left them on. [When] they did
the same in Far Cry New Dawn, 97 percent of players left them on.ââ
------------------------------------------------------------------------
_*Explore how we can approach XR through an inclusive design lens ð
<https://www.3playmedia.com/resources/recorded-webinars/wbnr-07-21-2022-xr/>*_
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Companies Embracing Accessible Gaming
Studios such as Naughty Dog, Ubisoft, and Epic Games are *incorporating
feedback from disabled gamers*
<https://www.polygon.com/2016/5/19/11716174/uncharted-4-accessibility-options-disabled-gamers>into
their games.
*As of December 31, 2018*
<https://www.3playmedia.com/blog/the-cvaa-video-game-accessibility/>,
any video game communication functionality released in 2019 and beyond
must be accessible to people with sight, motor, speech, cognitive, and
hearing disabilities. These requirements are outlined in the *21st
Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act*
<https://www.3playmedia.com/2018/08/15/everything-know-cvaa-guidelines-compliance/>(CVAA).
AbleGamers, a nonprofit organization for the disabled gaming community
founded by gamer and advocate *Steven Spohn*
<https://twitter.com/stevenspohn?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor>,
raised over *$1 million in 2021*
<https://www.wired.com/story/ablegamers-million-dollar-birthday-fundraiser/#:~:text=After%20all%2C%20Spohn%20says%20there,can%27t%20play%20popular%20games.>
for the *AbleGamers Foundation* <https://ablegamers.org/our-work/>, a
ânonprofit public charity that aims to improve the overall quality of
life for those with disabilities through the power of video games.â
Companies and individuals are also creating new types of hardware that
make it possible for players with mobility impairments to play the games
they love. Examples include Xboxâs *Elite Wireless Controller Series 2*
<https://www.xbox.com/en-US/accessories/controllers/elite-wireless-controller-series-2>
and console modder Ben Heckâs *single-handed wireless Xbox 360
controller*
<https://benheck.com/Games/Xbox360/controls/1hand/singlehandcontroller.htm>
and *single-handed PS4 controller.*
<https://www.benheck.com/single-handed-ps4-controllers-now-available/>
Xbox also released a co-pilot mode that allows another player to assist
with certain actions.
Celeste, a game that follows a woman on her journey up a mountain, has
an assist mode that sets an example for game developers considering
accessibility in their creation process. *Features include speed
adjustment, invincibility, and more*
<https://celeste.ink/wiki/Assist_Mode>.
This 2018 release removed barriers to the world of Celeste and allowed
many more players to enjoy the game. *Celesteâs success led to an
increase in gaming accessibility*
<https://www.washington.edu/doit/growth-accessibility-video-games>across
the industry, which Mira Shin describes in DO-IT:
âGod of War introduced a variety of customizable controls, the ability
to replace some fine motor tasks and repeated button taps with a single
button push, and several subtitle and display options to the franchise.
In Marvelâs Spider-Man, the player can auto-complete quick time events,
skip puzzles, turn on large subtitles, change taps to holds, and disable
parallaxing. The Last of Us 2 made news worldwide with not only its
extensive accessibility menu, but the fact that it guided the player to
the menu at the beginning of the tutorial to allow users to make these
changes from the very start.â
However, Shin also notes that many of these games require a degree of
fine motor control. While game creators have made great strides in
accessibility, there is still work to be done for disability inclusion.
Resources for Accessible Gaming
Whether youâre a developer who cares about making your game more
accessible or a gamer who wants to stay up-to-date on all things gaming
accessibility, there are many resources for you. Weâve compiled a list
of a few of our favorites.
For players:
* *DAGERSystem* <https://dagersystem.com/>
* *Can I Play That?* <https://caniplaythat.com/>
* *SpecialEffect* <https://www.specialeffect.org.uk/>
* *The IGDA Game Accessibility Special Interest Group*
<https://igda-gasig.org/>
For developers:
* *Accessible Player Experiences (APX)*
<https://accessible.games/accessible-player-experiences/>
* *Gaming Accessibility Guidelines*
<https://gameaccessibilityguidelines.com/>
* *Xbox Accessibility Guidelines (XAG)*
<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/gaming/accessibility/guidelines>
* *Gaming and Disability Player Experience Guide (GADPEG)*
<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/gaming/accessibility/gadpeg>**
* Read our *blog post*
<https://www.3playmedia.com/blog/xbox-accessibility/>or watch our
*Fireside chat*
<https://www.3playmedia.com/access/recordings/?submissionGuid=c93b0167-5db0-4551-8fb2-829ce67ffb29#xboxa11y>with
Anita Mortaloni, Director of Accessibility at Microsoft, and Sean
McIntyre, Product Marketing Manager at Xbox, to learn about Xboxâs
accessibility approach and why âday oneâ accessibility is important.
Video games allow consumers to escape their world and experience things
that would otherwise be impossible. Accessibility must be taken into
account from the very beginning of developersâ design processes to make
the unimaginable a (virtual) reality for all.
Gain a practical foundation in accessibility within XR projects.
<https://www.3playmedia.com/resources/recorded-webinars/wbnr-07-21-2022-xr/>
The post The Rise of Accessible Gaming
<https://www.3playmedia.com/blog/the-rise-of-accessible-gaming/>
appeared first on 3Play Media <https://www.3playmedia.com>.
https://www.3playmedia.com/blog/the-rise-of-accessible-gaming/
   David Goldfield
Assistive Technology Specialist
Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.info
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