Game Accessibility

I’m a blind gamer except I’ve got nothing to play. I’ve got a steam library full of games I want to play, the only problem is I can’t see to play the vast majority of them. So I’ve come to the conclusion I’m doing it all wrong,. That being said I’ve decided to change my game buying strategy.

I’ve decided to approach gaming from the accessibility front. Normally, I’ve noticed games I would probably want to play, either by watching them on twitch.tv or on a YouTube video somewhere. Then, I rush out all excited to buy it, install it on my computer fizzing with excitement, only to find it is completely inaccessible to me and I am unable to play it.

Although I wish I could shop for games in this way, I have come to the realization that I just can’t. I need to shop smarter. If the game is accessible to me, the chances are I’ll get more from it. I’ll be more competitive and have less excuses when I suck.

That’s what led me to this website, game-accessibility.com They are a fantastic resource, reviewing games, not only from an enjoyment stand point, but an accessibility point of view.

Each game they review receives a score out of 10 for both accessibility and the enjoyment factor. Lets face it, if the game is 100 percent accessible and there is no enjoyment to be had, we’re not going to want to play it are we.

In addition to this rating the site also provides you with detailed information on exactly how the game is accessible, for example, does the game make previsions for colour blind gamer’s. You can also search by these criteria, in addition to the device you wish to play the game on. This helps you pin point the exact accessibility features you need from a game so you can direct your search. Lets face it, we want to focus our time where it counts, on the fun stuff! This site makes that possible.

You’ll be pleased to know however, the site doesn’t stop there. Us, as gamer’s, want as many games to be accessible. To that end, The Game Accessibility Project also has a section on their site focused towards developers. passing on advice and valuable information so that, going forward, more and more games will have accessibility features baked into them, from their inception. Hopefully, one day, we might be able to shop the fun way once again, with our hearts, not our heads. But until then, I’m glad that game-accessibility.com exists and is making our gaming lives easier.

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