GAME AUDIO AND ACCESSIBILITY
Adam Brown and Bonnie Bogovich from Unlock Audio explain why accessibility should be more than an afterthought, and why it can be beneficial to everyone
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From top: Adam Brown and Bonnie Bogovich from Unlock Audio
mong the many exciting takeaways from GDC this year, one thing that excited our team most was the announcement of the Accessible Games
Initiative by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). This initiative introduces a standard tagging system that helps a wide variety of gamers find gaming experiences that address their preferences and needs by bringing native accessibility features to the fore. What’s great about these new tagging standards is
that it not only gives gamers clear information upfront before buying a game, but it also provides developers with a checklist of capabilities to include that will help make their games more enjoyable for a broader spectrum of players. The ESA launched the initiative with 24 tags which
developers can measure and catalog their gameplay against. Initial auditory accessibility tags include Mono/ Stereo/Surround Sound capabilities, Text-to-Speech dictation, volume controls, and narrated menus, but we see opportunities for many more audio tags to come.
CREATIVE VISION VS. PLAYER EXPERIENCE People in product development spaces often joke about how user experiences rarely align with the intended user journey of their product. Yet, where there are a million wills, there will always be a million ways. Fortunately, game creators are often motivated to reward independent play styles, eliminating the direct
30 | MCV/DEVELOP June/July 2025
contention between a studio’s creative vision and how gamers squeeze the most enjoyment out of their games. In this way, features built for accessibility are beneficial to all players who seek to minimize where they experience friction in their gaming experience. That’s not to say that accessibility eliminates the intended challenge of gaming altogether; rather, it allows gamers to achieve what they deem most essential for maximizing their entertainment value from a given game. It’s one thing for studios to pursue the most over-the-
top visions imaginable, but maximization from a player perspective may not always mean more resolution, more sound layers, and more mechanics. The challenge for studios to maximize their game’s reach is in balancing the expressive vision they aim to push with what actually pulls new players in. Don’t worry - these goals are rarely at direct odds with each other. Usually, it’s merely a matter of empowering gamers with more options to fine- tune their experience to venture from strict rails deemed to be “standard.”
HITTING THE RIGHT SENSORY LEVELS Different gamers will always have different views on what’s most essential for their playthrough experience. Some will prefer the lushest visuals and the most immersive sound design. Others may find extra bells and whistles to be overwhelming or even off-putting. Neither is wrong, and studios have an immense opportunity to
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