Accessibility in games

Accessibility is how open an experience is to people who might want to participate in it, regardless of any disability that they may experience. If a player who experiences a particular disability cannot play your game, then it is not accessible to them.

In this tutorial, you’ll consider who gets to play games and learn about the experiences of players with disabilities. You’ll also begin to explore the wider accessibility community.

Games are interactive experiences. When you remove barriers for players with disabilities, you’ll create experiences that more people are able to engage with and enjoy. Your games have the power to delight, inspire, change someone’s perspective, and extend the bounds of their imagination. It’s a kind of magic — one that everyone deserves to experience.

It also makes good business sense to prioritize accessibility as a creator.

A 2021 report by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) estimated that 67% of American adults (18+) play video games, and similarly high rates are reported across the world. The World Health Organization also estimates that about 15% of the world’s population experience disability, which is more than one billion people.

These statistics help to emphasize a simple fact: there is a clear business case for accessibility in the games industry. Return on Disability’s 2020 summary report The Global Economics of Disability frames the purchasing power of players with disabilities on a global scale:

“With an estimated population of 1.85 billion, people with disabilities (PWD) are an emerging market larger than China. Their Friends and Family add another 3.3 billion potential consumers who act on their emotional connection to PWD. Together, disability touches 73% of consumers. Together, the disability market controls over $13 trillion in disposable income.”

There’s an important slogan in the disability rights movement: “nothing about us without us”. The best way to learn about the experiences and needs of players with disabilities is to listen to them.

Many players with disabilities share their experiences online in a range of ways. Take some time now to explore a range of player perspectives relevant to the types of game that you’re most interested in playing and creating.

If you’re not sure where to begin, use the following playlists as a starting point:

• The lived experience YouTube playlist curated by International Game Developers Association’s Game Accessibility Special Interest Group (IDGA-GASIG) for Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2022.
• SpecialEffect’s YouTube playlist, which shares the stories of a range of players.

There are a range of things that can contribute to the accessibility of a game; the software is a critical part, but it’s not the only thing that you need to consider as a creator. Players with disabilities also have to be aware of these aspects of game accessibility, in order to avoid buying games that they cannot play.

Software accessibility

Digital games themselves are usually software; that is, programs that you can run on a computer. Every aspect of a program’s design and implementation impacts how accessible it is. As a creator, this is in your control.

Engine accessibility features

Some game engines offer features which support accessibility at runtime. These engine features reduce the amount of work that creators have to do to implement accessibility features in their games.

Platform accessibility features

Some gaming platforms have specific accessibility features that creators can use when creating their game. This reduces the things that you need to develop from scratch to make your game more accessible.

For example, Xbox provides a range of resources to help creators make more accessible games for the Xbox platform.

Input control compatibility

Many players with disabilities use alternative input devices so that they can play games. These input controls might be bespoke, but hardware such as the Xbox Adaptive Controller now make it easier for players to customize their experiences.

As a creator, you need to support players who use alternative input devices through remappable controls. If you don’t provide remappable control functionality, players who use alternative controls may not be able to play your game.

Communication of the game’s accessibility

Games can be expensive. It’s a risk for players to commit to buying a game without clear accessibility information. Players can find that information through reviews, especially those which focus on accessibility, but it’s easiest for players when you provide clear information about your game’s accessibility.

No two games are the same, and nor are the journeys of creators who prioritize accessibility. As part of the Unity for Humanity Summit 2022, Dave Evans, Jazmin Cano, and Lukáš Hosnedl joined us to share their insights about prioritizing accessibility in game development and the future of accessible gaming.

There are committed and engaged communities around accessibility in games that can be a support network for you as a creator.

There are lots of approaches that you can take to connect with the wider accessibility community, including the following:

• Attending accessibility-focused events, like the regular Game Accessibility Conference (GAConf).
• Connecting on social media, using tags like #gamedev, #a11y, and #gameaccessibility.
• Engaging with resources created by gamers with disabilities, like the review and news website Can I Play That?
• Searching for initiatives focused on accessibility in your local area, workplace, or educational institution.

Take some time now to consider how you would like to connect with the accessibility community and explore current conversations taking place in these spaces.

Note: As you work through this experience, you’ll learn more about collaborating with the accessibility community.

As you learn more about accessibility, you may encounter new terms and unfamiliar language.

General use of “accessibility” and “accessible”

Some people use “accessible” and “accessibility” in general ways that don’t closely align with a technical definition. This is most common when people talk about experiences or products being more available or approachable for potential users, without considering the needs of users with disabilities.

For example:

• A price reduction of a software subscription could be described as making that software more accessible (available) to a wider range of potential users.
• Changes that streamline a process might be described as making that process more accessible (approachable) for non-technical users.

Availability and approachability are related to inclusive design and delivery of experiences. For example, that reduced software subscription price could benefit marginalized users, who are often impacted by income inequality. However, when people talk about accessibility in a technical sense, they’re usually referring to the extent to which the needs of users with disabilities have been met.

A11y

A11y is a number-based abbreviation (numeronym) that is used in place of the word “accessibility”, particularly where character count is limited. The number 11 stands for the eleven letters omitted in the word between a and y. It can be a useful hashtag for searching for or connecting with the wider accessibility community.

Use a11y with caution — not everyone knows what it means. A11y is also sometimes said aloud (pronounced as AL-ee). This can make people think you are referring to someone by name, rather than talking about accessibility.

Accessibility as professional practice

Accessibility can also be used as a descriptor for what someone does in a way that goes beyond their specific job title. You might find someone informally described as a person who “does accessibility”, which generally suggests that:

• The person has a strong personal or professional interest in accessibility.
• The person explicitly focuses on creating more accessible outcomes in their work, no matter their role or discipline.

Now that you’ve considered the importance of accessibility for players, you’re ready to play through Out of Circulation, the case study for this course.