The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has launched the Accessible Games Initiative, a groundbreaking "tag" system designed to enhance video game accessibility for consumers. Announced at the Game Developers Conference, this initiative was developed by a coalition including industry giants such as Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, and Ubisoft. Since its inception, Amazon, Riot Games, Square Enix, and WB Games have also joined the effort, with the ESA overseeing its management.
Under this initiative, participating companies will tag their games with up to 24 specific accessibility features. These tags will appear alongside the game's details on digital storefronts and product pages, providing players with clear information about the accessibility options available. Tags include features like "clear text," "large and clear subtitles," "narrated menus," "stick inversion," "save anytime," "difficulty levels," and "playable without button holds," among others.
Stanley Pierre-Louis, ESA's president and CEO, emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating, "Tens of millions of Americans have a disability and often face barriers to experiencing the joy and connection that comes with playing video games. We are immensely proud to announce the Accessible Games Initiative in partnership with industry leaders. This initiative demonstrates how impactful we can be when we work together in our industry-wide pursuit of helping more people experience the power of play."
The rollout of these tags will be gradual and company-specific, initially available only in English. The system is not mandatory, and the ESA plans to potentially expand or refine the tags over time to better serve the gaming community's needs.
Accessible Games Initiative Tags:
Auditory Features
Tag: Multiple Volume Controls
Description: Separate volume controls are available for different types of sounds. You can adjust the volume for music, speech, sound effects, background audio, text-to-speech audio, accessibility audio cues, and voice chat individually, or change all game sounds at once with a single control.
Tag: Mono Sound
Description: This feature allows you to play with mono audio, ensuring that the same audio is sent to all channels, providing a single, combined audio channel.
Tag: Stereo Sound
Description: With stereo audio, you can experience directional sound from left to right, but not from above, below, ahead, or behind.
Tag: Surround Sound
Description: This tag indicates that you can play with surround sound, allowing you to locate sounds coming from any direction.
Tag: Narrated Menus
Description: This feature supports screen readers or voice narration for menus and notifications. You can navigate menus one item at a time, with all interactions and context changes announced through narration.
Tag: Chat Speech-to-Text & Text-to-Speech
Description: This feature allows for text-to-speech and speech-to-text conversion during game chats, enabling real-time narration of text chats and real-time transcription of voice chats.
Gameplay Features
Tag: Difficulty Levels
Description: You can choose from various difficulty options, including at least one that reduces the intensity of challenges. The differences between levels are clearly described.
Tag: Save Anytime
Description: This feature allows you to manually save your progress at any time, with exceptions during game-saving or loading, or when saving could cause game-breaking scenarios.
Input Features
Tag: Basic Input Remapping
Description: You can rearrange button controls by swapping or other methods. For full remapping of all game controls, including non-button inputs, see the "Full Input Remapping" tag.
Tag: Full Input Remapping
Description: This feature lets you assign any game action to any control for all supported input methods, including keyboard, mouse, controllers, and virtual on-screen controllers. You can also swap controller stick functionality.
Tag: Stick Inversion
Description: You can invert the direction of movement inputs like thumbsticks for up and down or left and right directions.
Tag: Playable without Button Holds
Description: You can play the game without needing to hold down buttons, though some analog inputs may still require holding.
Tag: Playable without Rapid Button Presses
Description: This tag indicates that the game can be played without requiring repetitive button actions like button mashing or quick-time events.
Tag: Playable with Keyboard Only
Description: The game can be played using only a keyboard, without any other devices.
Tag: Playable with Mouse Only
Description: You can play using only a mouse, including adaptive technology that maps to mouse inputs.
Tag: Playable with Buttons Only
Description: The game and menus can be controlled using only digital inputs like buttons or keys, where the pressure does not affect the controls.
Tag: Playable with Touch Only
Description: This feature allows you to play using only touch controls, without the need for non-touch inputs.
Tag: Playable Without Motion Controls
Description: You can play the game without using motion controls.
Tag: Playable Without Touch Controls
Description: This tag indicates that the game can be played without using touchpads or touchscreens.
Visual Features
Tag: Chat Speech-to-Text & Text-to-Speech
Description: As with the auditory feature, this tag supports real-time narration of text chats and real-time transcription of voice chats.
Tag: Clear Text
Description: Text in menus, control panels, and settings is a reasonable size with adjustable contrast. The font is less stylized or can be changed to a less stylized option.
Tag: Large Text
Description: You can adjust text in menus, control panels, and settings to a larger size relative to the device's screen resolution and typical viewing distance.
Tag: Large & Clear Subtitles
Description: Subtitles for all dialogue are available in a reasonable size with adjustable background transparency. They do not overlap with important game elements, and the font can be less stylized.
Tag: Color Alternatives
Description: Important information is communicated using shape, pattern, icons, or text instead of, or in addition to, color, which can be adjusted.
Tag: Camera Comfort
Description: This feature ensures no camera effects that may cause discomfort or harm are present, or they can be turned off or adjusted. Such effects include shaking, swaying, bobbing, motion blur, camera speed, and forced narrative-based movement.
Latest Downloads
Downlaod
Top News
