GCAP 2022: Ambition

We all might disagree on how much challenge is the perfect amount, but even fans of masochistically difficult games will agree: losing because you made the wrong decision has the potential to be fun, but losing because you could not win a tactile struggle with the controller is the stuff of rage quitting. Players with impaired vision, limited motor control, dyslexia, or any number of other challenges might find simple parts of your game to be frustratingly complex. The odds of such players enjoying your game are vanishingly small… unless you develop your game around their needs in the first place!

Thinking about players with hands, eyes, minds, schedules, and distractions different than your own is neither free, nor easy, but it can open up your games to a wider audience of potential enthusiasts.

This talk will cover ideas on how to use accessibility as a baseline of success and chief design constraint, as well as best practices for making sure usability is an ongoing component of development and not a last-minute addition. We’ll look at some games that stand out as being playable by a wide range of players due to ease-of-use, inclusive controls, or other nods to accessibility, as well as lessons and reflections on the speaker’s efforts to create a game with accessibility as a core goal.