Baldur’s Gate 3 is rightly lauded as one of the most important RPGs of all time, but the report card for accessibility reads “Could do better.”
I am glad more developers today are at least discussing accessibility a few weeks before release. A desire that they’d communicate that information earlier in the process was a big part of why I established the Access-Ability Summer Showcase, to create an annual space for early discussion of accessibility features at the point a game is being revealed.
SightlessKombat: It’s great to see announcements of accessibility features earlier in the development process, as well as content around the construction of these features and the passion behind them. Around 7 in 10 blind and partially sighted non-gamers and ex- gamers in research from RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) said video games do not have enough accessibility features, so although we’ve seen some improvements, there is still a lot of work to do. It’s not about developers trying to jump on the accessibility train without putting the thought in, but about really understanding the value of accessibility not just from a sales perspective, but from a player-enjoyment one as well.
Ian Hamilton: Awareness of the value and
practicality of what you can share and when. As more and more games shift accessibility earlier in the development cycle, not only will they be able to more and do it more cheaply position to share meaningful information earlier in development too.
Stacey Jenkins: It’s great that accessibility can be a trending topic, but it’s important to remember that we do this work because it’s important and has a real impact on players. Announcing accessibility features early and sharing as much information as we can is necessary for players to understand whether or not they can play our games. Development can take so long that players often don’t know about the hard work that’s happening behind the scenes to make our games accessible. Showing them what you’ve been up to and in your commitment to accessibility. Including accessibility in your regular communications, trailers and marketing beats also helps include disabled players in the hype, and keeps accessibility part of the conversation. We also show that it’s an integral part of gaming and it’s for everyone!
22 | MCV/DEVELOP April/May 2024
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