Gaming has come up in a big way in recent times like never before. It is a burgeoning industry and a favorite pastime for many. But not all aspirant gamers are able to enjoy all types of games, due to physical impairments.
You will realize that gaming has always been seen as a pastime for everyone, regardless of ability. However, games are highly visual and aural experiences, and impairments such as visual impairments or hearing problems are a significant barrier to entry. All these make it pretty challenging to carry out playtime and partake in the activity.
Also Read: Top 12 Most Awaited PS5 and PS4 Games Releasing In 2022
Difficulties Physically Challenged People to Face While Gaming
It is seen that some of the latest games are becoming more accessible to people with different levels of ability. In some ways, it is good but may not be enough.
There are still barriers and difficulties in some video game titles that make them unplayable for large sections (such as the use of flashing imagery are known to trigger seizures in susceptible persons, such titles usually come with a clear warning and an option to disable/forgo the section altogether).
Considering these, the entire gaming development section is undergoing a considerable change.
Suppose you aspire to become a successful game developer in these rapidly changing times. In that case, you must ensure you undertake a game development course that enables developers to develop games with these accessibility features, which will allow the physically challenged to access them. MAGES Diploma in Game Design and Technology program has a module that focuses on building games for the hearing impaired (ie “blind-accessible game”). Let us begin with developers’ options to build games for the visually impaired.
Modes Meant for People Suffering From Color-Blindness
One in 12 men can’t see the difference between colors because of a vision problem. It implies they might not be able to distinguish red from green. Nor can they notice that one object is blue while another looks purple – both equally important for identifying objects when playing sports or doing other activities!
Suppose you’re playing a video game and find that the colors are too difficult to see. The reason may be because of your eyesight. There’s more than one type of shortage in how we process light with our retinae: Protanopia (red-weak), Deuteranopia (green – weak), or Tritanopia blue—or any combination thereof! The problem becomes most apparent when looking at objects against backgrounds like UI interfaces for games which often have bright contrasting hues across their surface area.
Also Read: Top 7 Games for Steam Deck You Should Play
The color of a game can make all the difference. It’s been seen in games such as Destiny and Battlefield. Here adjusting colors to represent how we see them outside increases playability significantly. It is both for beginner players who may be shocked by bright futuristic hues or those looking forward to what is coming next inside your average shooter.
When designing any visual representation- whether it’s something small like an icon on our smartphone screens (think notification LED) ̶or more significant.
For the Blind or Those With Partial Blindness, Specific Filters Can be Used.
When it comes to developing games for the blind or partially blind, “Naughty Dog” is an appropriate example.
Since they started working on their series, the developers have been trying to make the game accessible for everyone. They eventually succeeded in creating an excellent set of options that will be available with The Last of Us Part II, and it’s great because this is just one example among many others!
Also Read: GTA 6 is Officially Announced – Everything You Need To Know
Some players may benefit from the High Contrast Display option, which will mute environment colors while making allies and enemies more distinct.
The Enhanced Listen Mode allows you to scan for items or enemies individually. It also triggers an audio cue based on their height, distance from your current location, and if they’re moving towards or away from it.
So, it is another handy feature that helps blind or the partially blind play the games and something that you need to know.
For those Motor Impairments Alternative Grip Solutions and Customizable Controls
The way you play games can be affected by your physical limitations. For some gamers, this means they need custom controls and alternative grips to compensate for their lack of fine-motor skill. They have to have customizable controllers or even hold pads comfortably enough to reach all buttons without having too much difficulty pushing them down accurately during gameplay sessions.
The alternatives have been integral in helping people who suffer from chronic pain enjoy video game playing and those looking forward to taking up a hobby but experiencing discomfort because it allows both parties different ways, whichever one suits best. These need to be taken into account for game developers.
Also Read: The Best Steam Games of 2021
With four different ways to hold the controller and fully remappable controls, Last of Us Part II offers another outstanding example of Accessibility.
When you develop games for people suffering from motor impairments, you need to keep this in mind.
Accessibility Solutions For Those Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Subtitles are the standard solution for any of those who are deaf.
While it is true that most video games have been historically pretty inaccessible for people with disabilities, some new features are coming up in the industry which should make gameplay more enjoyable and less frustrating. For example, subtitles can be enabled or disabled at your discretion; background images provide an extra layer of detail when reading text (especially helpful if you’re Deaf).
Here one may use adjustable font sizes to allow players who need glasses to see what’s being said clearly without having their vision corrected by computerized lenses!
Also Read: Download PUBG New State for Android via Google Play Store
Final Words
To conclude, we can say these are just some of how the people who suffer from specific impairments may benefit from games specifically developed for them.
So as a game developer, you need the proper training, for which Game Art Institute is a leader in the field. To know more, please get in touch with us!!
