The video game industry relies on accessibility

For most of his life, 25-year-old Bilal Rahmani could only pursue his passion for video games in the presence of his brother. “We had to be two on the controller,” explains the young man, unable until recently to move the characters on the screen alone because of his muscular dystrophy.

Then, last year, everything changed. The Saint-Lambert resident changed the settings of his favorite games on his PlayStation 5 console, Fifa and Rocket League, by grouping the most important actions on one side of the controller. This possibility seems simple, but it had only existed for a few years, and Bilal Rahmani had only just discovered it. Since then, he can move soccer players or cars, make passes and shoot on goal using only his right hand, the one that also steers his electric wheelchair. « I am now able to play alone, independently, » he says with a big smile.

Some titles now include dozens of useful options for people with disabilities, whether motor, auditory, visual or cognitive: high contrast to better see the characters, visual indications to show the origin of sounds, modification of sensitivity of the joystick, possibility of breathing underwater for those who cannot move their characters quickly, permission to skip puzzles.

« Accessibility has really improved over the past few years, » says Damien Fargeout, consultant for the French company Be Player One, which notably supports video game developers wishing to adapt their creations for players with disabilities. . Just five years ago, the options offered were rare and often poorly integrated, with subtitles too small for people living with visual impairments, for example.

Change is not trivial. “Many underestimate the importance of video games. It allows you to have a new field of activity and to be part of a community. It also shows that a form of normality is possible and that our life does not stop at a diagnosis, ”notes Damien Fargeout, himself a player suffering from Friedreich’s ataxia, a degenerative neuromuscular disease which affects among other things the fine coordination of his fingers and which forces him, year after year, to adopt more and more accessibility features when he plays.

Increasing the accessibility of video games — a pastime practiced by approximately 60% of the Canadian population, according to surveys — has the potential to touch the daily lives of millions of people. Like Bilal Rahmani, one in five Canadians over the age of 15 lives with at least one disability, according to Statistics Canada.

And, good news, the list of accessibility features on offer grows with each release, and more and more people can now play. These improvements are the result of long-term work and a change of mentality in the industry that has been taking place little by little over the past ten years or so. The implementation of good practices does not happen overnight, and with development times that often reach four years, the effects of this awareness have taken time to materialize.

“Before, we asked ourselves the question of accessibility very late in the process of creating a game, when it was advanced and we had less flexibility to change things. Today, these discussions take place from the start, when we are still at the paper and pencil stage », illustrates Jonathan Bédard, director of user experience at Ubisoft Quebec, who notably oversaw the accessibility of games Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Immortals Fenyx Rising.

“We also learned to work better. Now, when we add a feature, such as options to facilitate the reading of dialogues, we make sure to do it directly in our development tools, so that the other games that will come after can also benefit from it, ”adds the director.

The work is not yet finished. Benoit Brunet, from Saint-Constant, has to deal with a movement disorder, essential tremor, which affects his hands. Certain types of games, such as shooting, are therefore difficult for him. “I have to put them in easy mode to play them,” he laments. Unfortunately, this mode simplifies all facets of the game at once, like puzzles, which makes the experience less interesting. It is not an accessibility measure. For players with disabilities, it is better to have granular options, to automatically aim your weapon, for example.

« It’s an endless file », concedes Jonathan Bédard, for whom the important thing is however « to ensure that the next game will be more accessible than the previous one ».

According to Maayan Ziv, CEO of AccessNow, a mobile app designed to help people with disabilities live more independently, everyone benefits from doing better. “We often hear companies say that they don’t invest in accessibility because it doesn’t affect their users. But it’s ridiculous to think like that, ”notes the Torontonian.

On the contrary, companies must design their services and products so that they can be used by people with disabilities, precisely to increase their customer base. “If it is built with these people in mind, they will come,” promises Maayan Ziv.

Although the video game sector still has work to do, other areas could benefit from its learnings. « The industry is showing that it is possible to improve, » said Damien Fargeout.

Maayan Ziv nods. According to her, most spheres of activity could take inspiration from the recent opening of the video game world to people with disabilities, in particular by hiring managers who would devote themselves to accessibility, as we see more and more in the video game. Some innovations in the sector are already beginning to spread. In 2018, Microsoft launched the Xbox Adaptive Controller, which allows you to play not only with your hands, but also with your head, feet or knees. A device that took several years to design, in collaboration with dozens of people with disabilities.

« Some of our learnings have since been taken up elsewhere in Microsoft, » notes Bryce Johnson, principal researcher of accessible and inclusive design in Microsoft’s hardware division, and co-creator of the controller. Products from the Surface computer range, for example, are now packaged with less powerful glues which facilitate their unpacking, a strategy that had been used for the box of the controller. Other companies are also beginning to emulate the Xbox Adaptive Controller development process. « I’ve had several discussions over the past few months with an appliance manufacturer who wants to improve the accessibility of its devices, » continues the researcher at Microsoft. If it’s possible to transform something as complex as a video game console, surely the hard-to-differentiate buttons of a simple microwave oven can also be better designed.