Empowering play for all: The path to true accessibility in games

gamesindustry.biz:

The behemoth that is the games industry has profound responsibilities towards its players, and these are ever-evolving. Unfortunately, right now, actions towards accessibility – making games suitable for their disabled audiences – fall short of where they should be. Thankfully, accessibility is gaining more attention and traction across the industry though.

Studios like Sony Santa Monica Studio, with its blockbuster sequel God of War Ragnarök, made significant improvements in accessibility features from the previous iteration of the game, from navigation assists to subtitles and audio cues, and last year's Forza Motorsport introduced Blind Driving Assists, making the game hugely more accessible for blind/low vision players.

The problem is that it is not shifting anywhere near as fast or as widespread as it needs to.

There is a pressing need to ensure that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can experience the joy of gaming. Certainly, there's a clear moral imperative: disabled players are part of every game's target audience, so why wouldn't we want to include them?

However, there's also a compelling business angle. Disabled players account for 31% of US gamers and 20% in the UK, according to a recent study from industry analysts Newzoo, representing a vast and underserved customer base. The games industry, like any other business, thrives on profit, and accessibility isn't just a moral obligation; it's a financially sound decision.

That commercial imperative is multifaceted: the importance of diversity and inclusion is becoming much more widely accepted – and fought for – across society, particularly among younger generations.

This wider cultural shift means that any business will be judged on its attitudes towards DEI and face consequences if found lacking. Today, more and more companies are looking to understand how they can ensure their values of inclusivity are woven into the fabric of their brand identity – not just a tokenistic attribute or slogan on a