Accessibility is the quality of being available, approachable, and easily understandable. Today, access to information, products, and services is often taken for granted, but unfortunately, not everyone has the same level of access. This is especially true for online media, like games. Accessibility, or the lack thereof, can profoundly affect someone’s ability to experience a game fully. Game makers must remember this when developing and distributing their products so that everyone can enjoy the amazing worlds and stories that games can create.
What Makes Games Inaccessible
A few key issues make playing games less accessible to some people. First, buying a game can be prohibitively expensive for some people. With most games, you pay a one-time fee and are good to go. However, there are a lot of people out there who simply can’t afford this. Additionally, for those who struggle to understand a game’s instructions or tutorials, some video game translation companies offer services to make console and PC games more accessible. Second, there isn’t enough emphasis on accessibility options, such as providing subtitles or game language settings. While many games offer these options, there’s still a lot of work to be done on this front. Third, the complexity of modern games can be difficult for some people to comprehend or even just parse through. Games can be difficult for some players, whether keeping track of complex storylines, navigating difficult levels, or simply understanding the control system.
Tips to Improve Accessibility
Fortunately, there are a few things game makers can do to make their games more accessible. The first is ensuring the game is easier to navigate, even for new players. This includes having an intuitive user interface, ensuring tutorials are easy to understand and helpful, and setting up a guided tutorial system. Second, make sure to include as many accessibility options as possible. This can include color accessibility options and subtitles for hearing-impaired players. Third, it’s important for game makers to research their target audience and the types of games they are likely to enjoy. Finally, it’s important to test the game with different user types. This can help identify any potential issues with accessibility before the game is released to the public.
Conclusion
Playing games is a fun and rewarding experience and should be available to everyone. By taking the time and effort to make games more accessible, game makers can help ensure that everyone can share in the joy of gaming. This can be done by easing navigation, providing more options for accessibility, researching the target audience, and testing the game with different user types. By doing this, game makers can ensure that their product is available to everyone, and help bring gaming to all kinds of people, no matter their abilities.