Video Game Is Known As One Of The Most Popular Entertainment In Today’s World. A Great Way To Fill Your Free Time, Connect With Friends, Have Fun With Your Family, And Even Earn Money As A Full-Time Job. 

This popularity is such that it is estimated that we have around 3.24 billion gamers worldwide this year.

This figure increasingly includes those who play on different platforms, from mobile, console, and computer to the cloud. And this is because many cannot experience this wonderful world due to limited and disproportionate facilities. Disabled and physically challenged are among this category of users.

Disabled people and games

Unfortunately, there are no accurate and honest statistics on how many gamers we have with physical disabilities in 2021. However, based on old statistics published by the American media, it can be estimated that nearly 20% of American gamers are involved in some form of disability (color blindness is also included in this category).

Video game is one of the most popular forms of entertainment today. A great way to fill your free time, connect with friends, have fun with your family, and even earn money as a full-time job. This popularity is such that it is estimated that we have around 3.24 billion gamers worldwide this year.

This figure increasingly includes those who play on different platforms, from mobile, console, and computer to the cloud. And this is because many cannot experience this wonderful world due to limited and disproportionate facilities. Disabled and physically challenged are among this category of users.

Disabled people and games

Unfortunately, there are no accurate and honest statistics on how many gamers we have with physical disabilities in 2021. However, based on old statistics published by the American media, it can be estimated that nearly 20% of American gamers are involved in some form of disability (color blindness is also included in this category).

This population is probably less on a global scale. Lack of facilities, lack of flexible design of games, lack of access to suitable controllers, and the high equipment cost have resulted in this part of the society being less able to develop in this field.

This issue is less visible in first-world countries with high facilities because the government and society have devised many measures to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. So, even disabled streamers can be seen more or less in this category of countries; among these streamers, we can mention MikeTheQuad, who has been streaming professionally since 2011.

Picture of Michael Luckett, a streamer with a spinal cord injury

Unfortunately, these conditions are not available for Iranian disabled people. Regardless of the facilities, the country’s awareness, culture, and knowledge of this issue do not exist. As a result, disabled people in our country face more restrictions and difficulties.

Game developers and disabled people

Depending on their type and development, disabled people can cause visual, hearing, physical, or cognitive disorders. But this issue cannot prevent the game experience for this group of gamers. However, developing the game suitable for all these users is.

It has been difficult in recent years; developers and big game studios tried to improve the game experience for this group of users by including features. However, we still have a long way to go to deliver a near-perfect experience for people with disabilities.

Deaf and hard-of-hearing gamers

Deaf and hard-of-hearing people can provide a high-quality experience as easily as possible by installing readable subtitles in large font. However, we still see in many games that small and illegible fonts and incomplete dialogues are used not to affect the visual experience.

Readable subtitles in Life Is Strange: Before the Storm.

The Life Is Strange franchise games in the article show a good example of a disabled subtitle. A large, simple, and legible white font with a black border that comes with a background frame and can be adjusted and changed.

In addition, subtitles should not cross the usual border of two lines so the audience can read them. Fast and long dialogues will hinder the deaf gamer’s experience. Therefore, according to the standard introduced by the BBC, each subtitle with the usual number of words should be shown for at least 0.3 seconds.

When the game frame is crowded, and we have many characters in the scene, it becomes difficult for the deaf gamer to distinguish which dialogue belongs to which character. Therefore, games like Rise of the Tomb Raider, which specifies this difference with the color and mention of the character’s name at the beginning of the dialogue, exemplify a suitable design for people with disabilities.

Subtitles for sound effects in Half-Life 2

Another problem is the sound effects of the games. For example, in the Overwatch game, when playing Ultimate, due to the lack of a replacement for sound effects, the deaf user was unable to recognize it and could not perform properly. In contrast, games such as Half-Life 2, by placing all the sounds in the form of subtitles, and Fortnite Mobile, by replacing the audio loop in a visual format, allow the gamer to be aware of the events around him regardless of his visual space.

Colorblind, low-vision, and blind gamers

Disabled people with color blindness and low vision are also those gamers who are less discussed. Despite the visual focus of games, it is a bit more difficult to develop games to suit the broad needs of this group.

Color blindness is a hereditary disorder that, as the name suggests, makes it difficult for a person to recognize and clean colors. This disease occurs in different dimensions and is more common in men. This disability, which has various types, causes not to acknowledge some of the entire color spectrum. As a result, gamers with this problem cannot experience the color-based puzzles of the games.

We saw an example of this happening in one of the viral puzzles of Among Us. If you remember, we had to connect wires of the same color to solve this puzzle. But distinguishing these colors was difficult for this group of users. As a result of this game, each color was also cleaned from the other by a simple shape during the next update.

So, a simple method for the developer is to distinguish colored objects by symbols, designs, or shapes. A successful example of this practice can be seen in games like ChromaGun, which is completely based on color. For the convenience of colorblind gamers, this game displayed each color spectrum using a series of vertical, horizontal, or vertical lines so that the gamer could understand their distinction.

A suitable color blind scheme suggested by a Reddit user for the game Among Us

Also, in shooter games such as Overwatch or the Call of Duty franchise, where enemies are shown in red and teammates are shown in green, suitable options for colorblind people have been built in so that by changing the range of green and red to orange and blue, it is possible for this category of Users is provided. In color-based games like Splatoon, it is possible to lock the team’s color to recognizable ranges for colorblind people.

But the game developers can do better than this and allow the user to find a suitable and recognizable color spectrum according to their color blindness range (protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia, etc.) A successful example of this function can be seen in the games of the DICE company, which allows the user to customize the colors based on the color palette fully.

For visually impaired gamers, using simple, large, and legible fonts will be beneficial in recognizing the writings. It would also be helpful to have options for adjusting contrast and brightness built into many games today.

Black background in Street Fighter game

In an example of scene contrast, Street Fighter with busy scenes also allows the user to experience the simple black background so that the visually impaired gamer can experience the game without any particular problem. Also, the ability to increase the size of the health bar or the character’s equipment and the map can be beneficial, according to what we saw in the game Borderlands 3.

Appropriate and intelligent use of the controller’s sound effects and physical triggers can also greatly help visually impaired and blind users. This issue can be very evident for this group of users, especially in shooter and fighting games.

A blind gamer with the right equipment to experience the game

As for blind users, unfortunately, due to the visual focus of video games, the experience of games will be much more difficult. However, using joysticks with disabled triggers and proper and directional sounding will help make the experience real. Today we even have blind gamer YouTubers like Steve Saylor, who can be very inspiring

Physically and physically disabled gamers

Many of today’s games involve us in physical interactions. We must press a button continuously or release another button at the right moment. The mastery and control of this category of activities can be impossible for physically and physically disabled people. However, the range of physical disabilities is such that it is difficult to cover all the needs of this category of gamers.

Therefore, many people with disabilities use special joysticks or hardware according to their ability. One of the things that the developer can do to advance the needs of this category of users is the permission to connect and sometimes support the devices—something we rarely see on consoles.

Also, if games such as Overwatch or NieR: Automata are allowed to remap the buttons and keys of the game fully, it will significantly impact the experience of these users. Despite being common in computers, this issue is scarce in game consoles.

It’s even worse for handheld consoles. Because many movements in the game depend on the activitieconsole’s activitiescannot shake the handheld console in the right direction, you will not be able to experience the game properly.

Another feature that developers can provide to this group of users is reducing the complexity of game input. This means that less physical interaction is required to experience the game. An example of this can be seen in the latest version of Uncharted, which, in addition to the possibility of combining movement and camera buttons, also provides automatic aiming for this group of users.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider game menu with full customization of the game level

The easy combat mode in new games has made it easier for physically and physically disabled people to experience their favorite titles. With the development of new games, the control system’s customizable features are improving daily. As a result, more people will be able to experience high-quality games.

Equipment for disabled gamers

Fortunately, with the progress of the game industry and awareness about people with disabilities, the development of devices and tools attributed to gaming has also been proposed for people with disabilities. So that Microsoft also seeks to improve the quality of the experience of disabled Xbox gamers. The output of this effort is the launch of the Xbox Adaptive Controller device.

A $150 device with a different design that allows the user to experience playing with arms, hands, and legs in a controllable way. This device provides a gaming experience for many gamers due to its large and sensitive buttons, pedal, and touchpad. Also, the above apparatus can connect and sync with Xbox consoles and computers.

But this is only one of the devices that can be used for people with disabilities. Names such as Blue Tip Gaming Axis 4 Pro, SubPac M2X, and Optima Joystick are among other devices that can be used for this category of disabled users. However, unfortunately, it isn’t easy to access these tools in Iran.

On the other hand, today, many companies active in the field of technology are trying to produce touch triggers, visual simulators, and smart hearing aids. Improve the advanced life of this category of society. For example, eSight3 smart glasses are one of those tools that can change the lives of visually impaired people. But there is still a long way to go until this equipment becomes practical.

The future is bright.

Despite all the limitations, today, the future of the gaming world seems bright for disabled people. Manufacturers becoming more aware and considering the needs of regular users has led to the fact that today more disabled people can have a high-quality game experience with their friends and family.

On the other hand, the development of tools related to people with disabilities, in addition to improving their quality of life, can improve the gaming experience for this group of people. With the increasing progress of technology and the increasing awareness of this group of society, a more beautiful future is predicted for people with disabilities.

What is our duty?

Finally, our duty as a member of society is to accept these people and then help their voices to be heard. Many of the needs of ordinary people will be met with simple measures. So, as a citizen, we must try to meet the needs and improve the life of this underprivileged group of society and help if possible.

If we are in the game and video game development industry, consider the needs of these disabled gamers in our game development. If we own the voice and the media, let us be the voice of these people and their shortcomings. And if we can take even a small step toward improving their quality of life, we should not hesitate.

Conclusion

Fortunately, with the increasing awareness of the world community, game developers and studios also consider the features needed for disabled gamers. And today’s big games come with a significant range of customizable features so that this category of users can also have a high-quality and complete experience of the games.

The presence of assistive devices and devices for people with disabilities has greatly improved this experience. But still, despite the high price and many limitations, it cannot solve the problems of a wide range of disabled people. However, it is hoped that with the increasing development of technology and people’s awareness, the sweet experience of video games will become accessible and high-quality for all disabled gamers, including Iranian disabled ones.