Today, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) unveiled the Accessible Games Initiative, a groundbreaking "tag" system designed to enhance video game accessibility for consumers. This initiative, introduced at the Game Developers Conference, is a collaborative effort involving major industry players such as Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, and Ubisoft. Additional companies like Amazon, Riot Games, Square Enix, and WB Games have also joined the cause, with the ESA overseeing the initiative's management.
Under this new system, participating game companies will label their products with specific "tags" chosen from a curated list of 24. These tags will appear alongside the game's details on digital storefronts and product pages, providing clear information about the game's accessibility features. Examples of these tags include "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, highlighted the significance 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 phased, implemented on a company-by-company basis, and initially available only in English. The system is not mandatory, and the ESA has plans to potentially expand or modify the tags in the future.
Accessible Games Initiative Tags:
Auditory Features
Tag: Multiple Volume Controls
Description: Separate volume controls are available for different types of sounds, allowing adjustments for music, speech, sound effects, background audio, text-to-speech audio, accessibility audio cues, and voice chat. All game sounds can also be adjusted simultaneously with one control.
Tag: Mono Sound
Description: This feature enables gameplay with mono audio, ensuring the same audio is sent to all channels, providing a unified audio experience.
Tag: Stereo Sound
Description: Players can enjoy stereo audio, where sounds indicate their left or right origin but not their vertical or forward/backward positioning.
Tag: Surround Sound
Description: This tag indicates support for surround sound, enabling sounds to convey their direction from any angle.
Tag: Narrated Menus
Description: This feature allows the use of screen readers or voice narration for menus and notifications, with all interactions and context changes announced audibly.
Tag: Chat Speech-to-Text & Text-to-Speech
Description: This dual-function tag enables real-time narration of text chats and transcription of voice chats, enhancing communication within the game.
Gameplay Features
Tag: Difficulty Levels
Description: Players can choose from multiple difficulty settings, including options that reduce challenge intensity, with clear descriptions of the differences between levels.
Tag: Save Anytime
Description: Players can manually save their progress at any time, except during game-saving or loading processes, or when it could lead to game-breaking scenarios.
Input Features
Tag: Basic Input Remapping
Description: This allows players to rearrange button controls, offering flexibility in control customization.
Tag: Full Input Remapping
Description: This comprehensive feature lets players assign any game action to any supported input method, including keyboard, mouse, controllers, and on-screen controls.
Tag: Stick Inversion
Description: Players can adjust directional inputs like thumbsticks to change how movement is controlled in different directions.
Tag: Playable without Button Holds
Description: The game can be played without needing to hold down buttons, although some analog inputs might still require holding.
Tag: Playable without Rapid Button Presses
Description: This tag indicates that the game can be played without the need for quick, repetitive button actions.
Tag: Playable with Keyboard Only
Description: The game can be fully played using only a keyboard, without the need for additional devices.
Tag: Playable with Mouse Only
Description: Players can use only a mouse to play the game, accommodating adaptive technology that maps to mouse inputs.
Tag: Playable with Buttons Only
Description: This tag signifies that the game can be controlled using only digital inputs like buttons or keys.
Tag: Playable with Touch Only
Description: The game supports gameplay using only touch controls, without requiring non-touch inputs.
Tag: Playable Without Motion Controls
Description: This feature allows gameplay without the need for motion controls.
Tag: Playable Without Touch Controls
Description: Players can enjoy the game without using touchpads or touchscreens.
Visual Features
Tag: Chat Speech-to-Text & Text-to-Speech
Description: This tag supports real-time narration of text chats and transcription of voice chats, enhancing visual and auditory accessibility.
Tag: Clear Text
Description: Text in menus and settings is of a reasonable size with adjustable contrast, using less stylized fonts for better readability.
Tag: Large Text
Description: This feature allows the use of large font sizes for text in menus, control panels, and settings.
Tag: Large & Clear Subtitles
Description: Subtitles for all dialogue are provided in a readable size with customizable background transparency, ensuring they do not obstruct important game elements.
Tag: Color Alternatives
Description: Important information is communicated without relying solely on color, using shape, pattern, icons, or text instead.
Tag: Camera Comfort
Description: This tag ensures no camera effects that may cause discomfort or harm are present, or such effects can be adjusted or disabled.
