I’ve used a lot of time playing games from 1990 when I got my first computer (IBM XT) and to about 1999. Games were mostly offline, and sometimes you needed to tweak the operating system to dedicate enough memory to even play a single game. So, sometimes you needed to invest a lot of time trying and failing before the game even started. An excellent motivation when I reflect on it now, but quite a barrier for people that just wanted to play the game.
Fast forward to today and there is no need to say that gaming is on another dimension – with constant internet connections, in game video calls, not to even start mentioning augmented and virtual reality.
But this also means lots of new barriers for groups of people. Especially when we consider people with disabilities – permanent, temporary and situational ones. And this evolution in gaming, where we see constant innovation of all kinds – when compared to websites, applications and documents – and a fact that we don’t actually have “official” accessibility guidelines for games. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and EN 301 549 help to a degree, but with games we often get into scenarios that are not even mentioned in existing official standards.
So, when I was asked how to make mobile games (more) accessible, I needed to do some additional research. And stumbled upon large community and lots of possibilities and guidelines.
What to do when WCAG and EN 301 549 are not enough?
Well, I really believe that the best way is to co-create – make games together with users. But that is easier to say than to do, for different reasons – often we don’t have the resources, or we don’t get enough diversity.
The second best option is to check what others have done (successfully). Don’t mean to copy things, but check what works and how it can potentially be applied to our game. Keeping in mind all the patents and copyright, mind you. This is often not so easy to do. It requires understanding and knowledge that perhaps we don’t yet posses. Even if we have enough resources we may quickly fail without awareness and understanding.
Very usable alternative is to start with guidelines that were made by organizations that already have the experience, that implemented the feedback, that tested things in real life, that also rely on science. Basically check what unofficial guidelines, or guidelines shared voluntary offer. And I need to congratulate all the contributors, because they really made a good job. Please check Game Accessibility Guidelines (opens in new window) to begin with.
There are more and you will quickly find them with your favorite search method, but I really suggest going through Game Accessibility Guidelines first as they offer a lot of practical guidelines and you can even choose to check the basic, intermediate or advanced and adjust the learning about game accessibility itself.
Accessibility really is a wide and deep field, and I love that there is no end to learning about it. And once again I have the proof that it’s can be from everybody to everybody.
