ดวงดาวเรืองแสง is one of the most popular entertainment choices worldwide. 2.6 billion people, from all walks of life, partake in this interactive digital experience. This demographic includes tens of millions of players with disabilities, who are often prevented from enjoying the game they’ve purchased due to lack of accessibility features.

Some of these barriers are physical, such as difficulties pushing buttons, and others are cognitive or emotional. Players who encounter these issues are unable to return the game they’ve purchased and may experience a financial loss. For this reason, gamers with disabilities are eager to see an increase in the number of accessible video games on the market.

At the recent Develop:Brighton event, Rebellion’s Cari Watterton and Lowtek’s Alastair Low discussed ways to make video games more accessible. Watterton outlined how the medical model, which focuses on providing adaptive hardware and software solutions, can be replaced with a social approach that encourages developers to create games with accessibility in mind from the beginning.

Accessibility in Online Gaming: Opening Doors for All Players

Many features that are typically considered to be part of a game’s accessibility offerings actually benefit all gamers, not just those with specific disabilities. For example, allowing gamers to adjust text size and user interface (UI) color can be beneficial to everyone, including those who are color blind; closed captioning in video games can allow users with hearing loss to play into the night without disturbing their roommates; and adjustable difficulty levels can benefit gamers who find certain game mechanics difficult or tiring. Haptic feedback, such as vibrations and rumble cues, can also be useful in conveying information to gamers with sensory or motor impairments.