A talk during this year’s conference asked the industry to maintain awareness of developments, especially to ensure that advancements are still helping players with disabilities. Cherry Thompson, accessibility project manager at Ubisoft, is no stranger to GA Conf. With years of presentations ranging from appropriate disability representative to one open letter of worship and the importance of cultureThompson demonstrates the need and importance of disability accessibility and inclusion. This year conversation continue to remind developers to respect and be aware of players with disabilities.
“Where this conversation begins is realizing that we are not doing this alone,” says Thompson. “The game is very unique. The accessibility challenge in the game is different from any other accessibility challenge. We can literally look anywhere else to see where things are done right, or where things aren’t done right, or where things can even harm the community. people with disabilities, so that we can know the pitfalls to avoid and it also gives us a good idea of the directions. “
Where does GA Conf go from here
Working on accessibility makes Thompson acutely aware of methods that should be avoided, especially in regards to game design. Beyond the daunting task of asking the entire industry to reflect on advances in accessibility and how they impact players with disabilities, Thompson wants to shift the focus of accessibility from option arrive design included. While accessibility settings and features are necessary and “will always be integral to accessibility,” they say the industry’s reliance on them can be detrimental.
Whether options are at the heart of accessibility is another question, they said. “Options is the approach we’re taking right now, and this is where I think we’re headed in a difficult direction. Accessibility is not optional, and options cannot carry the weight of all accessibility. That’s partly because, as I said in the talk, accessibility isn’t something tangible, it’s something that exists whether we do anything about it or not. ”
Thompson is talking about the unique and personal side of being a person with a disability. Accessibility arises from the interaction of a disabled person with anything inaccessible. And what is considered accessible to some is not to others. This is why options are necessary, but they need to become an integral part of the game itself, not an externally reinforced feature.
“Will the options continue to be the same 10 years from now? It’s something I really want people to think about,” said Thompson. “How the options are approached, how they are presented to the player, how they work, like this genre on the side or top of the game — this is how they have been since the game has been around. . Is that the right approach or do options deserve to be introduced into the future at the same rate as the rest of our designs? ”
Thompson’s hope for the accessibility options in the game is to eventually “completely overhaul what they are,” and it’s hard to predict what that future holds. But it is these conversations and conversations that have allowed the games industry to think critically, brainstorm, and ultimately progress when it comes to design, accessibility, and properly supporting players in the community. disabled people. GA Conf is not just another developer conference that people can’t understand. Instead, the event by Ian Hamilton and Tara Voelker brings the ideas, critiques, and concerns of people with disabilities to the studios and developers that can create these accessible experiences.
