How accessible are game engines, and how much is still to be done?
Game development is, in some ways, more accessible than ever. Between the ease-of-use of engines like RPG Maker to the release of titles like Game Builder Garage that gamify the act of development itself, there are countless ways into game development that do not require previous experience of coding or design.
The opportunity for creation with engines like Unreal, Unity and more is enormous. But – just as with issues with accessible gaming itself – there are still obstacles to be overcome when it comes to making those engines available for everyone to use.
That has huge implications for the games industry: the 2021 developer satisfaction survey from the International Game Development Association found that 29% of respondents to the survey considered themselves to have a disability of some kind.
Cameron Keywood is studio director of Wales-based DragonCog Interactive. He explains that, given wider recognition of the commercial and moral imperatives with making game dev accessible, larger engines are making it a priority.
"Mainstream engines like Unity and Unreal Engine have made significant strides in integrating accessibility features, providing support for screen readers, keyboard shortcuts, and customisable interfaces," he says.
"These engines also have robust documentation and tutorials on how to implement accessibility features in games developed using their engines."
He also notes that, while larger engines typically have the resources to implement accessibility features for developers, indie engines often do not. That is a view backed up by Cari Watterton, senior accessibility designer at studio Rebellion, who states that the variety of technical support varies wildly by engine.
"Indie engines tend to offer more bespoke solutions. For example, there have been some game engines which have been designed specifically for blind developers but are often limited to creating audio games. In comparison, mainstream engines cater to building a variety of game genres, so there
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