This week we covered the crucial yet understated topic of accessibility in games. Many will argue that we should not worry so much about accessibility in game development because  people do not need to be able to play all games and it inconveniences privileged players to have these accommodations (apparently). However, not only is this attitude harsh and selfish, it is also the attitude that would severely hinder development and betterment in all fields. Without taking accessibility into account, many important advancements would not be made and general progress in development would be fatally hindered if things were only available to a small portion of the population. Simple changes and considerations on part of the game developer can make a world of difference for countless people in experiencing games.

One example of a game that is very limited with accessibility is Rainbow Six Siege. Positional sound is crucial in playing the game in locating enemies and objectives. There is no visual supplement to this so people who are hard of hearing are at large disadvantage. In comparison, Destiny 2 had a good combination of visual and audible cues that tells players where enemies and objectives are. For example, all enemies make a different sound so you can locate them and know what is coming without visual cues. On top of that, there are also visual indicators, including red blotches on the screen in the direction that the enemy is that change in size the more dangerous the enemy is (larger blotches for larger enemies). There are also small white arrows pointing to enemies in case the red blotches are not visible for someone. In my experiences, Destiny 2 has the most accessibility in terms of reading the map and surroundings. 

Games that are used to represent disabilities, like Blindscape which we played in class, can have very profound impacts on players and are a very creative and artistic way to portray peoples’ experiences. This goes back into the argument about games being a form of art, because games like this can express things so creatively. An interactive experience like this can show aspects of an experience that are not as easily portrayed in different, more traditional, forms of art.