The gaming industry has evolved greatly in the past few decades. It grew from the retro games available on consoles in the 1970s and 1980s to the games we know and love today. Technological advancements mean we get to enjoy better games, but most importantly, all of us get to enjoy these games. The wonders of modern technologies have helped game developers make games that can be played by people with disabilities.
Inclusive games are a hot topic today, and with good reason. Allowing everyone to play their favorite title means no one is left behind. This is why inclusive games have helped reshape the entire industry, so let’s look at how.
Why Do We Need Inclusive Games?
For a long time, most games were designed for people without disabilities. This one-size-fits-all approach meant that a certain percentage of gamers couldn’t play.
Take hearing impairment, for example. Private Internet Access (PIA) found that around 430 million people worldwide experience hearing loss and require rehabilitation. Even if not all of them are gamers, many people are still left out of the gaming world.
How Do Accessibility Features Help?
During the games’ design and development stages, companies implement features that make the experience as immersive as possible. Some of those features revolve around accessibility needs. Although this part has been around for a while, it only gained popularity recently. This is thanks to people and organizations raising awareness of accessibility issues for gamers with disabilities.
Aspects like visual aids, adaptive mechanics, and more customizable controls are only a few of the accessibility features you’ll find in modern games. If you look at The Last of Us Part II, you’ll find that the game includes multiple accessibility options. Multiple color-blind people, sensitivity adjustments, and text-to-speech are only a few of the accessibility options you’ll find there.
Playground Games took a similar approach with Forza Horizon 5. It implemented features that are especially useful for people with mobility impairment. Offering players a way to customize the controls and utilize driving aids allows them to enjoy the game without limitation.
How Inclusive Games Impact the Players?
One of the main reasons accessibility features exist is to allow people with disabilities to play games. This will enable them to be represented and valued and, most importantly, share the same experience as the players without disabilities. A sense of belonging is essential for people with disabilities, which is why game developers work on improving and adding new accessibility features.
To achieve this, they usually rely on community feedback. This has been shown to be instrumental in reshaping game design and the industry in general. By better understanding the needs of people with disabilities, developers can make more inclusive games.
How Inclusive Games Affect Game Developers?
Even though the primary goal of inclusive games is to allow people with disabilities to enjoy them, there are some advantages for the game developers as well. As this part of the gaming market increases, companies implementing accessibility features seek to gain more.
Recent research shows that 39% of gamers with disabilities have to abandon their favorite game due to a lack of accessibility features. Developers who work on adding or improving these features can increase their player base, which may result in bigger profits.
How Inclusive Games Are Changing Industry Standards?
The increase in popularity of inclusive games set higher standards and expectations. As the bigger players in this industry implement more accessibility features, they set a benchmark their competitors must follow. This also sets a benchmark for smaller developers to adopt these practices.
How Technology Helps With Accessibility?
Technology advancements are the primary reason many newer games are more inclusive. While subtitles for gamers with hearing impairment isn’t a new feature, voice recognition is. This technology is crucial for gamers with limited mobility who want to experience the gaming world fully. Engaging with other gamers breaks down the barriers that have existed for a long time.
Artificial intelligence is becoming a key player in many fields and is the kind of technology that can help make games even more inclusive. For example, Microsoft’s implementation of AI can generate descriptions of game scenes and output them through speech synthesis. This is especially crucial for people with visual impairment.
Challenges and Future Improvements
Even though many inclusive games exist, certain implementations are still needed. The bigger companies in the gaming industry have adopted these practices, but the same doesn’t apply to all of them. Many companies, especially the smaller ones, lack the knowledge or resources to implement the necessary accessibility features successfully.
In addition, some are still not as open to implementing these features as some of their competitors. While it is important for a game’s story or mechanics to be developed properly, it should be equally important to have the necessary accessibility features implemented.
For the gaming industry to move in the right direction, it’s essential to follow the needs of gamers with disabilities. While game developers are responsible for implementing the necessary features, they also help with support. Standing by gamers with disabilities sends a clear message to the entire industry about the direction in which it should be headed.
Conclusion
The rise in popularity of inclusive games means that the industry is moving in the right direction. By adding the necessary accessibility features, game developers ensure that people with disabilities can enjoy their games as much as everyone else. That said, there is still much work, and many more companies need to adopt and implement these features. This is the only way for gamers with disabilities to experience their favorite games to the fullest.