Accessibility In Gaming

GAconf Accessibility Conference Line-Up Announced

9Oct

By CharlotteNo Comments

GAconf Accessibility Conference Line-Up Announced

The line-up has been announced for accessibility conference GAconf. GAconf is a professional conference for the games industry, founded to advance the field of accessibility in game development. Suitable for all disciplines of the games industry, the hybrid event will take place on October 28th-29th. With both a free to attend online event held through Zoom and Discord, as well as an in-person gathering in Redmond. Accessibility Matters Awareness of the importance of game accessibility has increased hugely in recent years, with ever growing numbers of developers seeing the benefits. GAconf offers two days of talks and networking exploring recent and future advancements in the field of game accessibility. Event attendees can expect a wide range of topics from all sectors of the industry...

24Mar

By Mike DifferNo Comments

Accessibility In Gaming

Visual Impairment And Accessible Gaming

I am embarrassed but readily admit that I know very little about the struggle that exists. And I don’t always consider how difficult it can be for people not able sighted. Growing up playing video games, the name says it all, as to how prevalent the visuals are when playing. For nearsighted people, it is relatively easy to play games. For those who have low vision or are blind, I found that different ways have been found to still be able to play such as responding to audio cues. However, this is still far from ideal for visual impairment gaming and people within the visual impaired (VI) community. Listen out for how games can work for you I listened recently to The Tale of the Winter Sun, an audio play from Fowk Productions. I have included the YouTube link below. The team at Fowk h...

Colourblind Watch: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

27Nov

By Stu NNo Comments

Accessibility In Gaming

Colourblind Watch: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

After my Colourblind and Gaming article a few weeks ago, I've decided to keep an eye on games that have or add Colourblind options to games. As part of a new series focusing on accessibility in gaming, I'm introducing you all to Colourblind Watch! Today, the topic is Colourblind Watch: Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Colourblind Watch: Assassin's Creed Valhalla - What's New? Recently I purchased Assassin's Creed Valhalla on PC and it's the first game on the Colourblind Watch list. As usual, the first thing I do it check for any colourblind options. As usual, when it comes to the majority of games, they change the way icons and health bars etc. are displayed. Before the latest patch of 1.0.4, you can see here, This is what you used to get: With Patch 1.0.4 they have now added: (A11y) ...

17Nov

By Stu N1 Comment

Accessibility In Gaming

Colourblind and Gaming

I first discovered I was colourblind at the age of 7 while in class at primary school, looking at a chalkboard and struggling to read the yellow writing. After this incident, I went to have my eyes checked and sure enough, I was diagnosed as colourblind. In this post, I'm going to be looking at what it's like being colourblind and being a gamer. What is ColourBlindness? Colourblindness affects 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women. Until recently, I had believed that colourblindness only affected men. This was the common belief when I was growing up. But we now know that even though it is a lot less common for women, they can also suffer from this type of visual impairment. The classic colourblindness test can be carried out using Ishihara plates. If you can’t see the number 3, then you’re pro...

15Jul

By DanNo Comments

Accessibility In Gaming, Gaming, Gaming For All

Gaming and Epilepsy

More and more people are getting diagnosed with Epilepsy, yet there isn’t much awareness surrounding it – Especially when it comes to gaming! The Facts: In the UK alone there are circa 600,000 living with Epilepsy Around 87 people are diagnosed on a daily basis. Approximately 1,000 people die every year with around half of these been related to a sudden unexpected death in Epilepsy (also known as SUDEP) Photosensitive Epilepsy affects roughly 3% which is seizures triggered by flashing and/or flickering lights What is shocking is the fact that not many people are even remotely aware of the above or how serious Epilepsy can be. The effects it has on life alone, never mind the seizures can be extremely difficult to live with. For many people with Epilepsy gaming is a ...

EyeMine Software Allows Disabled Gamers to Play Minecraft With Their Eyes

18Apr

By TC Staff WriterNo Comments

Accessibility In Gaming, News & Updates

EyeMine Software Allows Disabled Gamers to Play Minecraft With Their Eyes

SpecialEffect, a charity dedicated to enabling disabled gamers play video games have developed, EyeMine. A software designed to allow Minecraft to be playable using just the players eyes. SpecialEffect have created an open-source software, EyeMine that is available as a free, Windows-based download for players with a Minecraft account and an eye-tracker. It's compatible only with Windows computers running at least Windows 7 and above, and is not compatible with the mobile, or console versions of Minecraft. A supported eye-tracker is also required, and they have a list of supported trackers available here. The software comes with a number of different ability levels, allowing a range of players to use EyeMine. “For us, EyeMine represents a watershed development. It’s a flagship example ...