What are some strategies for creating accessible games?

1 Visual Accessibility

Visual accessibility refers to how well a game can be perceived and understood by players with different levels of vision, color perception, or reading ability. To improve visual accessibility, game developers should use high contrast and saturation for important elements such as text, UI, or interactive objects. Additionally, they should avoid relying on color alone to convey information or feedback and instead use shapes, symbols, or patterns. Furthermore, clear and readable fonts should be used and all caps, fancy scripts, or small sizes should be avoided. There should also be options to adjust the text size, speed, and background. Moreover, consistent and intuitive icons, labels, and indicators for game mechanics, actions, and goals should be used while avoiding abstract or ambiguous symbols. Lastly, visual cues and feedback for sound effects, dialogues, or events that may affect the gameplay should be provided such as subtitles, captions, or indicators for speech, noises, or alerts.

2 Audio Accessibility

Audio accessibility refers to how well a game can be heard and understood by players with different levels of hearing, language, or attention. To improve audio accessibility, it is important to use clear and distinct sounds for important elements such as UI, feedback, or warnings. Additionally, it is beneficial to provide options to adjust the volume, balance, and quality of the sound effects, music, and voice. Text alternatives should also be provided for any audio content that is essential for the gameplay or the story. This includes subtitles, captions, or transcripts for dialogues, narration, or instructions with options to customize the text appearance, position, and timing. Lastly, voice acting, narration, or text-to-speech can be used to enhance the text content and the immersion with options to choose the language, accent, and speed of the voice.

4 Testing and Feedback

Testing and feedback are essential for creating accessible games, as they allow you to evaluate and improve your design choices and implementation. To ensure your game is accessible, it should be tested with a diverse and representative sample of players, in different environments and scenarios, and with accessibility guidelines and standards. Additionally, testing should be done early and often, with the feedback from testers and audience incorporated into the game. This will ensure any issues or bugs that may affect the accessibility or quality of the game are addressed.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?