New Audience for Game Development : Inclusion of hearing-impaired, colorblind, and partially blind players
The gaming industry has exploded in recent years like never before, and so has the depth and breadth of game development . It is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world and a favorite pastime of many. However, not all aspirant gamers can enjoy all types of games due to physical or other limitations. Their ability to play some of the most popular games can be restricted by certain game designs.
The visual and auditory nature of games makes them a significant barrier to entry for many people with visual impairments or hearing problems. These factors make playtime and participation in activities quite challenging. Fortunately, there are a lot of discussions to improve game development and resolve such issues.
As a result, the entire game development industry is undergoing a substantial transformation. the strongest movement in that direction has to be Sony-owned Naughty Dog Studio’s The Last of Us Part II. Launched in 2019, the game had a plethora of accessibility features to reduce difficulty or to make sure the audience that can participate in the game is as large as possible. The article discusses certain solutions for the inclusion of hearing-impaired groups and visually challenged people.
Modes Suitable for Color-Blind People
Color can make all the difference in a game. But some people face never-ending challenges. Let's say you're playing a video game and the colors are difficult to see. Perhaps it's your eyesight that is causing you so much trouble. There are multiple types of deficiencies in how our retinas process light: Protanopia (red-weak), Deuteranopia (green-weak), or Tritanopia blue. Objects against brightly contrasting backgrounds, such as UI interfaces for games, are most noticeable when viewed against backgrounds. Many game developers tried to resolve this issue while building their games.
Games such as Destiny and Battlefield have incorporated color-blindness in their games. Here, adjusting colors to reflect what we see outside significantly increases playability.
Specific filters for blind or partially sighted people
In terms of developing games for the blind or partially blind, Naughty Dog is probably the best example.
The developers have worked hard to make their series accessible to all players since they started developing it. In the end, they created a great set of options that will be available with The Last of Us Part II, and that's great because this is just one example out of many!
High Contrast Display may benefit some players by muting the colors of the environment while making allies and enemies more distinct.
With the Enhanced Listen Mode, you can scan for items or enemies individually. In addition, an audio cue is triggered based on their height, distance from your current location, and if they're moving toward or away from it.
This is another useful feature that helps blind or partially blind people play games.
Alternative grip solutions and customizable controls for people with motor impairments
Physical limitations can affect how you play games. A lack of fine-motor skills requires some gamers to use custom controls and alternative grips. Players can reach all buttons without too much difficulty when playing with customizable controllers or pads.
People who suffer from chronic pain and those looking forward to taking up a hobby but experiencing discomfort have benefited greatly from the alternatives because they allow both parties to enjoy video game playing in different ways, whichever suits them. Game developers should take these factors into account.
Last of Us Part II offers another outstanding example of accessibility, with four different ways to hold the controller and fully remappable controls. It is important to keep this in mind when developing games for people with motor impairments.
Deaf and hard-of-hearing accessibility solutions
Deaf people typically use subtitles as their standard solution.
The industry is coming up with some new features that should make gameplay easier and more enjoyable for people with disabilities, even though most video games have historically been pretty inaccessible. For instance, subtitles can be enabled or disabled at your discretion; background images provide additional details when reading text (especially helpful for those who are deaf).
With adjustable font sizes, players who need glasses can see what's being said without having their vision corrected by computerized lenses!
Key Takeaway
In conclusion, these are only some of how game developers can help people with specific impairments and make the game equally enjoyable for them. However, to do that a game developer needs proper training, and MAGES Institute is a leader in this field. There is a module in the MAGES Diploma in Game Design and Technology program that focuses on building games for the hearing impaired i.e. "blind-accessible games".