AbleGamers Charity Launches New Site To Give Disabled Players A Voice
While players can usually find some accessibility options within games, these are largely limited to players with visual impairments though there have been some major strides to improve the accessibility for all. For example, a recent Xbox controller design has been making waves for being geared toward players with disabilities by helping make input for games more accessible. One of the non-profit groups that helped back the controller, AbleGamers, has launched a new website to help give disabled players a voice, and”bridge the gap between ability and desire”.
The site, aptly named Accessible.Games, aims to create several “panels” with the hope the players with disabilities will be able to get more involved with the gaming industry. By receiving more direct feedback from players, this will in turn potentially help developers take “game accessibility from a niche topic to a key design factor,” according to the site.
On top of having plenty of feedback, the site also provides a variety of tools developers can use to help improve the accessibility of their game mainly focusing on design patterns to help work around many of the common barriers disabled players face when trying to play. The tools not only help give insight into how to help bring more accessibility to a game, but also on how to enrich the overall experience of the game itself without sacrificing the challenge for non-disabled players as well.
This resource will be a wonderful addition to any developers’ arsenal, and will hopefully make begin to make major impact on the gaming industry itself. Let us know your thoughts on the AbleGamers charity and their new accessibility website in the comments section below. As always don’t forget to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter for 24/7 coverage of all things gaming and entertainment.
Chris Calles1560 Posts
Known as "Stash" or Yippee Calles. He's a student of everything, avid adrenaline junkie, and creator of random things. When he's not delving into a game, book, or movie - He's out teaching himself new things or taking part in some pretty epic adventures. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr.
