#video game accessibility

[rjalker]

as a general PSA, Fallout London has several issues with flashing lights and/or colors.

The first one is the character creation screen itself. Your character is in a giant test tube, with green bubbles constantly streaming past. It made me so motion sick that I completely gave up on creating a custom character and just went with whatever I had done so far even though I wasn't actually finished making the character.

The second is that for I don't even remember which quest it is, it might be the main quest or it might be the thing with Cthulu, you have to go somewhere in Greenwich, which seems to be the fallout London equivalent for Fallout 4 is Glowing Sea, but even more dramatic.

and the increase to drama is accomplished through torrential rain, a new special effect for the wind both of which make it almost impossible to see anything because of how dark the screen gets. And then, every few seconds, there are bolts of lightning that light up your screen almost pure white every few seconds. I think I lasted a minute before I attempted to fast travel away and then the game crashed which this time I'm thankful for.

It's very clear that they did not have an accessibility consultant for this area or even the character creation screen, and unfortunately, it seems that the only way to contact the creators of the mod is through discord of all things so. That's really irritatating.

so if you have photo sensitivity, please be extremely careful especially if you are attempting to go to Greenwich. Try to find a mod that will remove all of the lightning or something. I don't even understand how people who *don't* have photosensitivity can be fine with it.

If the character creation screen bothers you because of the bubbles, just pick a template and then you can change it later with a console command when you are somewhere with good lighting.

On a related note, a lot of the handwritten notes in the game are written very fucking small so that I can't read them without squinting and we have the computer set up with an HDMI cable to display on the TV, so that's telling you something.

The same goes for most of the computer terminals, the text is so small And I don't think there's a way to zoom in on it at all or increase it that I will not be reading any computer terminals unless required for a quest, and even then I will only be skimming to look for whatever option is required.

Which is really fucking disappointing because I literally love reading every single computer entry possible.

So if you have a discord, please help make the creators of this mod aware of these accessibility issues.

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

Open captions. Eye contact. ~6 minutes.

Summary: talking about content warnings specifically for photosensitivity triggers like flashing lights, making the point that simply putting up a warning at the beginning of a video or video game does not make that thing accessible, and there are better alternatives:

Avoiding using flashing if you can If you can't, putting a warning, with a countdown, ten seconds before the flashing starts, with a time stamp for when it's over, Making an alternate version of a video without flashing, and directing people to that.

Then he talks about how video game developers have found ways to make accessibility options available in games, so that proves its possible. And he finishes by talking about the statistics that show that people with photosensitive disabilities are a substantial demographic, so making your content accessible will broaden your audience.

[microwavedautism]

I wish Elden Ring had a difficulty scale or something, maybe even just an option to slow down enemy movement because oh my fuck I cannot track how fast some things move. There is way to much for me to focus on and comprehend :[

[thewholeloaf]

Can we add accessibility features to video games that aren't just like. Subtitles/CC? I've been having a hell of a time trying to play fps like halo because I can't tell what's marine and what's alien unless they're literally in my face. Maybe it would make some meanie pants get all huffy about it making the game unfair for competing, but listen.

Let me have a setting that puts a SLIGHT brightly colored outline around enemies/allies. Red, neon purple, I don't care. I don't want to use my minimap to see enemies. Just let me see properly!! And can we let all games have a brightness slider for every level? At any point I want to be able to pause my game and make it brighter without SCALDING MY RETINAS and injecting blue light directly into my eyeballs by turning my computer brightness up (which usually doesn't help that much either).

I'm not even blind in any literal meaning beyond nearsightedness and astigmatism. I can't even imagine what trying to play (major, popular!) video games is like for others who do deal with these issues on a daily basis. Video games should be fun for everyone, and if I'm not having fun, then there are certainly many people who are definitely not having any fun!

[liberationwasboundtohappen]

I suffer from more invisible disabilities (nerve damage and poor reaction time due to a botched childhood surgery) and I love to play games that are hard, but it's been a super uphill battle to get me to this point.

Like. Years.

I had to train my reflexes and play every day to develop my skills just to get to *good*. And I still get better every day!

It's very satisfying for *me*, but this isn't feasible for a lot of folks! Accessibility is so fucking important and you bet your ass I will support these kinds of accessibility options every time.

Even though I do not use them.

Because I want everyone to have fun without pain or strain!

all video games should have a “I’m shit at video games but I’m curious about the story and I don’t want to watch a let’s play” mode

[thescrapyard]

thought this was a thoughtful addition to the back of the box

[staff]

Tumblr Tuesday: A Cozy Little Spot in the Underworld 

It’s a Hades art collection! All your favorite drapey ones, right here on your dash. Please join us in celebrating the incredibly talented artists in this fandom. They are doing us all such a solid while we anxiously await the official release and its delicious family drama.

@toydreamer:

@sakitamish:

@kitsunico:

@alinamgh:

@fleshgardens:

@miyaneatworld:

@lornaka:

@mochipong:

@moon-finch:

@riotb0nes:

@beneceadraws:

@paseriptm:

@ziriii:

@ryuuna:

@kkekaart:

@corvophobia:

@eclecticshadowwitch:

[prokopetz]

Look, there's a lot to be said about the contemporary gaming industry's preoccupation with graphics performance, but "no video game needs to run at higher than thirty frames per second" – which is something I've seen come up in a couple of recent trending posts – isn't a terribly supportable assertion.

The notion that sixty frames per second ought to be a baseline performance target isn't a modern one. Most NES games ran at sixty frames per second. This was in 1983 – we're talking about a system with two kilobytes of RAM, and even then, sixty frames per second was considered the gold standard. There's a good reason for that, too: if you go much lower, rapidly moving backgrounds start to give a lot of folks eye strain and vertigo. It's genuinely an accessibility problem.

The idea that thirty frames per second is acceptable didn't gain currency until first-generation 3D consoles like the N64, as a compromise to allow more complex character models and environments within the limited capabilities of early 3D GPUs. If you're characterising the 60fps standard as the product of studios pushing shiny graphics over good technical design, historically speaking you've got it precisely backwards: it's actually the 30fps standard that's the product of prioritising flash and spectacle over user experience.

[ibrokemyotherone]

i agree that we should furthur the discussion on accessibility and other ways that games can better achieve that.

but saying that easy mode "isnt a real accessibility feature" is not true.

You are glancing over a myriad of conditions that do benefit from having an easy mode.

For example, i know more than a few people with musculoskeletal conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos syndromes or arthritis who enjoy video games but are unable to spend the nessasary hours of repetitive motion it takes to defeat a dark souls boss without causing a lot of pain or injury to themselves.

It would be beneficial for people who want to engage with the story and art of a game to have a feature that allows them to do so without injuring themselves.

This does not butcher the experience for anyone and it does make a game more accessible to many.

Instead we should be raising the bar of awareness for other features that would help many of us including auditory processing.

it still rankles my crankles that people go on about video game easy modes as an 'accessibility feature' but don't propose much less controversial means that impact a game's artistic message much less

[bestaccessibilityservices]

Reaching a Wider Audience: The Significance of Video Game Accessibility in Marketing Strategies

Explore the importance of video game accessibility in marketing strategies, reaching a wider audience and ensuring inclusivity. Learn how inclusive design and features can create a positive impact and foster a more inclusive gaming community. For more information, visit the website

https://sophiecharlotte063.wixsite.com/serviceaccessibility/post/reaching-a-wider-audience-the-significance-of-video-game-accessibility-in-marketing-strategies

[felassan]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard info compilation Post 1

Post is under a cut due to length.

There is a lot of information coming out right now about DA:TV from many different sources. This post is just an effort to compile as much as I can in one place, in case that helps anyone. Sources for where the information came from have been included. Where I am linking to a social media user's post, the person is either a dev, a Dragon Age community council member or other person who has had a sneak peek at and played the game. nb, this post is more of a 'info that came out in snippets from articles and social media posts' collection rather than a 'regurgitating the information on the official website or writing out what happened in the trailer/gameplay reveal' post. The post is broken down into headings on various topics. A few points are repeated under multiple headings where relevant. Where I am speculating without a source, I have clearly demarcated this. if you notice any mistakes in this post, please tell me.

as this post hit a kind of character limit, there will probably be at least 1 more post. :)

Character Creation

CC is vast [source] and immensely detailed [source]

We will enter CC straight after Varric's opening narration [source]

You are given 5 categories to work your way through in CC: Lineage, Appearance, Class, Faction, Playstyle. Each of these has a range of subcategories within them. There are 8 subcategories within the "head" subcategory" in "Appearance" alone [source]

Lineage dictates things like race (i.e. human, elf, dwarf, qunari) and backstory [source]

Backstories include things like factions. Factions offer 3 distinct buffs each [source]

There are dozens and dozens of hairstyles [source]

There are separate options for binary and non-binary pronouns and gender [source]

"BioWare's work behind the scenes, meanwhile, goes as deep as not only skin tones but skin undertones, melanin levels, and the way skin reacts differently to light" [source]

CC has a range of lighting options within it so that you can check how the character looks in them [source]

There are a range of full-body customization options such as a triangular slider between body types and individual settings down to everything from shoulder width to glute volume [source]. There are "all the sliders [we] could possibly want". The body morpher option allows us to choose different body sizes [source]

All body options are non-gendered [source]

They/them pronouns are an option [source]

Rook can be played as non-binary [source]

Individual strands of hair were rendered separately and react remarkably to in-game physics [source]

Special, focused attention was paid to ensuring that hairstyles "come across as well-representative, that everyone can see hairstyles that feel authentic to them, even the way they render" [source]

The game uses strand hair technology borrowed in part from the EA Sports games. The hair is "fully-controlled by physics," so it "looks even better in motion than it does here in a standstill" [source]

The ability to import our choices from previous games is fully integrated into CC. This will take the form of tarot cards - "you can go into your past adventures" and this mechanic tells you what the context was and what decision you want to make [source]

In CC we will also be able to customize/remake our Inquisitor [source]

A core tenet of the game is "be who you want to be" [source]

There are presets for all 4 of the game's races (human, elf, dwarf, qunari), in case detailed CCs overwhelm you [source]

Story

The story is set 9 years since Inquisition [source]

The Inquisitor will appear [source]

Other characters refer to the PC as Rook [source]. This article says they are "the Rook" [source]

The ability to import our choices from previous games is fully integrated into CC. This will take the form of tarot cards - "you can go into your past adventures" and this mechanic tells you what the context was and what decision you want to make [source]

The prologue is quite lengthy. A narrated intro from Varric lays the groundwork with some lore and explains about Solas [source]. In this Varric-narrated opening section, the dwarf recaps the events of previous games and explains the motivations of Solas [source] (Fel note/speculation: this sounds like this cinematic that we saw on DA Day 2023)

What happens first off is that Rook, who is working with Varric, is interrogating a bartender about the whereabouts of a contact in Minrathous who can help them stop Solas. The bartender does not play nice and we are presented with our first choice: talk the bartender down or intimidate them aggressively [source]

The first hour of the game is "a luxurious nighttime romp through a crumbling city under a mix of twinkling starlight and lavish midnight blue" (Minrathous) [source]. The game begins with a tavern brawl (depending on dialogue options) and a stroll through Minrathous in search of Neve Gallus, who has a lead on Solas [source]. Minrathous then comes under attack [source] by demons [source] (Fel note/speculation: it sounds like the demo the press played is what we saw in the Gameplay Reveal). Off in the distance is a vibrant, colorful storm where Solas is performing his ritual. [source] Eventually we come upon Harding. [source] and Neve. Rook and co enter a crumbling castle, where ancient elf secrets pop up, "seemingly just for the lore nerds". [source] Then we teleport to Arlathan Forest, have a mini boss fight with a Pride Demon, and there is the climactic confrontation with Solas. After a closing sequence, at this point it is the end of the game's opening mission. [source] (Fel note/speculation: So the Gameplay Reveal showed the game's opening mission)

The action in the story's opening parts starts off quite quick from the sounds of things: the devs wanted to get the player right in to the story. because, “Especially with an RPG where they can be quite lore-heavy, a lot of exposition at the front and remembering proper nouns, it can be very overwhelming.” [source]

BioWare wanted to make the beginning of Dragon Age: The Veilguard feel like the finale of one of their other games [source]

Rook's Faction will be referenced in dialogue [source]

Minrathous is beautiful, with giant statues, floating palaces, orange lantern glow and magical runes which glow green neon. These act "like electricity" as occasional signs above pubs and stores [source]

The story has a lot of darkness tonally. These dark parts of the game contain the biggest spoilers [source]. However, the team really wanted to build in contrast between the dark and light moments in the game, as if everything is dark, nothing really feels dark [source]

Our hub (like the Normandy in ME or Skyhold in DA:I) is a place called The Lighthouse [source] (Fel note/speculation: I guess this screenshot shows the crew in The Lighthouse? ^^)

Each companion has a very complex backstory, their own problems, and deep motivations. These play out through well-fleshed out character arcs and missions that are unique to them but which are ultimately tied into the larger story [source]

We will make consequential decisions for each character, sometimes affecting who they are in heart-wrenching ways and other times joyously [source]

Decisions from previous DA games will be able to be carried over, it will just work a bit differently this time [source]. The game will not read our previous saves. For stuff pertaining to previous games/choices, players will not have to link their accounts [source]

Characters, companions, romance

Varric is a major character [source]

Every companion is romanceable [source]

BioWare tried to make each character's friendship just as meaningful, regardless of romance [source]

If you don't romance a character, they may end up romancing each other [source]

There will be some great cameos [source]. Some previous characters are woven into the game [source]

Companion sidequests/optional content relating to companions is highly curated when it involves their motivations and experiences [source]

We could permanently lose some companions depending on our choices [source]

Our choices can influence if characters get injured and what they think about us [source]

The bonds Rook forges with companions determine how party members grow and what abilities become available [source]

Each companion has a very complex backstory, their own problems, and deep motivations. These play out through well-fleshed out character arcs and missions that are unique to them but which are ultimately tied into the larger story [source]

We will make consequential decisions for each character, sometimes affecting who they are in heart-wrenching ways and other times joyously [source]

Gameplay, presentation, performance etc

Each class (warrior, rogue, mage) has 3 specializations. The ones for Rogue are duelist, saboteur and Veil ranger [source]. (Fel note/speculation: Veil ranger reminds me of Bellara. Maybe this is her 'spec' too?)

Duelist gameplay involves a sharp combination of dashes, parries, leaps, rapid slashes and combos [source]

Faction-related buffs include being able to hold an extra potion or do extra damage against certain enemies [source]

Individual strands of hair were rendered separately and react remarkably to in-game physics [source]

Playstyle settings include custom, distinct difficulty settings for options as granular as parry windows, meaning "players who might fancy that playstyle but typically struggle with the finer points of combat can give it a go" [source]

Combat mechanics is a mix of real-time action and pause and play. Pausing brings up a radial menu split into 3 sections: companions to the left and right, Rook's skills at the bottom, and a targeting system at the top which helps get in focus on certain enemies. [source]. In the pause system you can queue up your whole party's attacks [source]

Tapping or holding the shoulder button pauses the game, allowing us to stop the action and issue orders to companions [source]

There is a system of specific enemy resistances and weaknesses [source]. Weaknesses and resistances plays a big role in combat and abilities are designed to exploit these accordingly [source]. An example is that "one character might be able to plant a weakening debuff on an enemy, and another enemy might be able to detonate them" [source]

There is a vast skill tree of unlockable options [source]

You can set up specific companions with certain kits, e.g. to tackle specific enemy types, to being more of a support, or as flexible all-rounders [source]

Healing magic returns [source]

Abilities can change together with elaborate results, e.g. one companion using a gravity well attack that sucked enemies together, another using a slowing move to keep them in place, and Rook using a big AOE to catch them all at once [source]

A shortcut system lets you map a few abilities to a smaller pinned menu at the bottom of the screen [source]

There are class-specific resource systems. For example, Rogue has "momentum", which builds up as Rook lands consecutive hits [source]

Each class will always have a ranged option [source]

Rogue Rook can do a sort of 'hip fire' option with a bow, letting you pop off arrows from the waist [source]

Warriors can throw their shield at enemies, and can build an entire playstyle around that using the skill tree [source]

There is light platforming gameplay [source]

The game runs on the latest iteration of the Frostbite engine [source]

The game targets 60 fps

On consoles it will feature performance and quality modes so we can choose our preferred visual fidelity [source]

The game is mission based [source]. Some levels that we go to do open up, some with more exploration than others. "Alternate branching paths, mysteries, secrets, optional content you're going to find and solve." [source]

Everything is hand-touched, hand-crafted and highly curated [source]

Some sidequests and optional content is highly curated, especially when it involves the motivations and experiences of the companions. In others we may be investigating for example a missing family, with an entire open bog environment to search for clues and a way to solve the disappearance [source]

Gameplay, presentation, performance etc continued, after the above bullet list hit a character limit

There is sophisticated animation cancelling and branching. Gameplay is action-like, and the design centers around dodging, countering, and using risk-reward charge attacks designed to break enemy armor layers [source]

The dialogue wheel returns [source]. It gives truncated summaries of the dialogue options rather than the full line that the character is going to say [source]

The bonds Rook forges with companions determine how party members grow and what abilities become available [source]

For stuff pertaining to previous games/choices, players will not have to link their accounts [source]

We can play the game fully offline [source]

There are no microtransactions [source]

The game itself is not as cell-shaded in look as the first trailer looked [source]

[☕ found this post or blog interesting or useful? my ko-fi is here if you feel inclined. thank you 🙏]

[animentality]

[disabled-dragoon]

@ablegaming

(Hope you don't mind the tag)

disability & mental health resources for gamers

hey all! so my day job is that i'm a social worker for neurodivergent people, and my (very awesome) boss asked me to put together a list of resources for our clients about gaming. this list focuses on video games, not TTRPGs, but i still wanted to share it here since there's so much overlap between our communities!

spreading this list is much appreciated. i am a game lover to the end but there is a lot of work our community needs to do for it to be as accessible, positive, and supportive as possible! you never know who might benefit from something on this list

resource list:

Games for Change - an organization that aims to promote a better world through gaming. Includes a curated list of games (with an accessibility features search) that promote growth or better mental health, or are disability accessible

Take This - decreasing stigma and increasing understanding, support, and resources for mental health in the gaming world. Includes mental health resources and consulting

Dager System - a disability in gaming journalism site that does educational videos, accessibility reviews, and has a searchable accessibility database (acquired "can I play that")

Taming Gaming (/ The Family Gaming Database) - an online searchable database designed to help parents and caregivers navigate good games for their kids. Includes curated lists of games for lots of different categories, including emotions and themes

Disability accessible game lists

Mental health game lists

Autism friendly games

AbleGamers - a charity making video games more accessible to the disability community. Includes consulting and adaptive technologies

Autistica Play - a branch of Autistica that aims to make video games more accessible to autistic people and educate game designers about autism

Autistic Gaming Initiative - streamers who raise funds for autistic led advocacy groups

Spectrum Gaming - an online / discord based community and advocacy group to unite autistic youth in gaming. lead by an autistic adult, but run by the autistic youth themselves

if people know of more, or know of orgs that focus on other disabilities (i mainly work with autistic people) please feel free to shoot them my way so i can update the list! using games to improve our lives and our world is a big passion of mine so i always appreciate learning about cool initiatives out there!

[three--rings]

You guys I just found out about this guy who made 3D printable files for adapters for game controllers to allow them to be used one handed!   It’s so clever and easy and accessible, unlike other adaptive controllers.  It just snaps onto a regular controller.  The way the stick is controlled is damn genius.  So much easier than trying to use your feet like other systems. 

A friend is using one due to a stroke and as someone with problems from arthritis, this is so great to see, in case I get to the point I really can’t use my right hand.

Please share and give this guy some love, cause this is awesome. 

[savleye]

Hades 2 early access art for Circe, Hades, Icarus, and Medea

[mrrempton]

How To Make Video Games More Accessible (And Why It Matters)

Video games should be for everyone, but millions of players struggle to play due to a lack of accessibility. In this video I go over why accessibility features are so important, and how you can make your own games more accessible!

What’s up designers, and welcome back to Rempton Games. I love video games, and if you’re watching this video you probably do too. Video games are such a rich, powerful medium of entertainment, and can accomplish amazing things that are impossible in any other medium. I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to explore the far reaches of Hyrule, steal hearts as a Phantom Thief, or even…