Accessibility in video games. I wish this was more of a hot topic, as perhaps then we’d have fewer cases of tiny font/UI elements, to name perhaps the biggest such problem. Other things of note, of course, include settings to help with colorblindness, a field-of-view slider to alleviate motion sickness, and… well, there’s a lot. But today, the focus is on Games for Blind Gamers, and the same-named game jam.
Whenever I write about a game jam, I tend to encourage creativity and uniqueness in submissions. In this case, spreading awareness of just what it means to be a so-called blind gamer also makes that list – tops it, even. After all, a lack of sight severely limits a person’s ability to interact with video games in general, save for those with, you know, related accessibility features. Which is likely less than 5% of even the big popular titles. So for this December-spanning game jam, how about we get creative and increase those numbers (game jam creations rarely rank among ‘the big popular’, but… even so)?
Rules? Pfft. Who needs… oh wait, there are actually some:
- Prior code is OK, but please make sure you state in your submission what prior code you used.
- Ditto for prior assets – please state them and/or reference them appropriately.
- To ensure as many people as possible can play your game, please make sure it runs on Windows, or web/HTML5.
Need more info? Well, as always, the jam’s page/website is a good place to start, although #games-for-blind-gamers on this Discord server should not be underestimated, much like the AudioGames forums. And remember… have fun!
(Screenshot is from sound-driven adventure, Lost and Hound.)
