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Making video games more accessible
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Playing a video game is usually not a physically intensive activity. The only motion necessary for most console systems and PC games is pushing a button. Ease of play, stunning sound, and gorgeous graphics provide much of video games' allure.
For disabled individuals, however, even the relatively simple act of playing a video game is a struggle. The learning disabled cannot read impossible-to-slow text fast enough to understand it. The hearing impaired cannot hear the auditory cues that save the game's hero from death. Those with neurological disorders often cannot navigate complex controls. The visually impaired have fairly obvious difficulties. Beyond disabilities themselves, the gaming market itself is not friendly to the disabled. Games often do not indicate how accessible they are to the disabled. The specialized controllers that can make video gaming possible for the disabled also do not work for all games. These barriers often mean gaming is impossible.
In recent years, however, game developers have tried to accomodate the needs of this previously untapped market. These accomodations include:
- Alternative pointing devices, such as head and eye tracking systems.
- On-screen keyboards.
- Speech recognition.
- Screen readers.
- Screen magnifiers.
Developers have also begun including accomodations, such as closed captioning, in their games. A few games are even made for the disabled. For example, Terraformers has graphics, but includes a sonar-based non-graphical mode for visually impaired players. These developments tap into a potentially lucrative market and encourage creativity. After all, it takes imagination for a sighted or hearing person to imagine how someone without those capabilities views the world.
The world of video gaming has been closed to the disabled for too long. Without accomodating them, the market excludes people who would enjoy playing games. This is inexcusable in a hobby based on having fun and escaping from one's troubles. The recent developments in accessibility are encouraging, but also need to be encouraged and funded.
Links:
Game Not Over: Accessibility Issues in Video Games
Game Accessibility at the Internation Game Developers Association
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