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 was introduced at the Game Developers Conference and is the result of collaboration among major industry players including Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, and Ubisoft. Further support comes from Amazon, Riot Games, Square Enix, and WB Games, with the ESA overseeing the management of the initiative.
Under this initiative, participating video game companies will utilize a set of 24 standardized tags to label their games, providing clear information about accessibility features. These tags will be displayed near the game's project details on digital storefronts and product pages, making it easier for consumers to find games that meet their accessibility needs.
These tags cover a wide range of features, including "clear text," "large and clear subtitles," "narrated menus," "stick inversion," "save anytime," "difficulty levels," and "playable without button holds," among others. This system aims to cater to various accessibility needs, from auditory and visual impairments to different input requirements.
Stanley Pierre-Louis, ESA president and CEO, emphasized the importance 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 gradual, implemented on a company-by-company basis, and initially available only in English. The ESA has indicated that the system may evolve over time, with potential additions or modifications to the existing tags to further enhance accessibility.
Accessible Games Initiative Tags:
Auditory Features
Tag: Multiple Volume Controls
Description: Separate volume controls are available for different types of sounds. Players can adjust the volume for music, speech, sound effects, background audio, text-to-speech audio, accessibility audio cues, and voice chat individually, or use a single control to change all game sounds at once.
Tag: Mono Sound
Description: Allows players to use mono audio, ensuring that the same audio is sent to all channels, such as both left and right headphones, creating a single, combined audio channel.
Tag: Stereo Sound
Description: Enables gameplay with stereo audio, where sounds indicate their position from left or right, but not from above, below, ahead, or behind.
Tag: Surround Sound
Description: Supports gameplay with surround sound, allowing sounds to communicate their origin from any direction.
Tag: Narrated Menus
Description: Provides screen readers or voice narration for menus and notifications, allowing players to navigate menus one item at a time with audio feedback.
Tag: Chat Speech-to-Text & Text-to-Speech
Description: Facilitates text-to-speech and speech-to-text for game chats, enabling real-time narration of text chats and transcription of voice chats.
Gameplay Features
Tag: Difficulty Levels
Description: Offers multiple difficulty options, including at least one that reduces the intensity of challenges, with clear descriptions of the differences between levels.
Tag: Save Anytime
Description: Allows players to manually save their progress at any time, except during saving or loading processes or when it could result in game-breaking scenarios.
Input Features
Tag: Basic Input Remapping
Description: Permits rearranging button controls, with the option to swap or rearrange them through various methods. The "Full Input Remapping" tag extends this to all game controls across all supported input methods.
Tag: Full Input Remapping
Description: Enables players to assign any game action to any control across all supported input methods, including keyboard, mouse, controllers, and virtual on-screen controllers.
Tag: Stick Inversion
Description: Allows players to invert directional inputs, such as thumbsticks or flight sticks, affecting movement in up/down and left/right directions.
Tag: Playable without Button Holds
Description: Ensures gameplay without the need to hold digital inputs like keys or buttons, though some analog inputs may still require holds.
Tag: Playable without Rapid Button Presses
Description: Eliminates the need for repetitive button actions, such as button mashing or quick-time events.
Tag: Playable with Keyboard Only
Description: Allows the game to be played using only a keyboard, without requiring any other input devices.
Tag: Playable with Mouse Only
Description: Enables gameplay using only a mouse, including compatibility with adaptive technologies that map to mouse inputs.
Tag: Playable with Buttons Only
Description: Supports gameplay and menu navigation using only digital inputs like buttons or keys, where pressure does not affect controls.
Tag: Playable with Touch Only
Description: Allows gameplay using only touch controls, without the need for non-touch inputs like buttons or analog sticks.
Tag: Playable Without Motion Controls
Description: Permits gameplay without the use of motion controls.
Tag: Playable Without Touch Controls
Description: Ensures gameplay without the need for touchpads or touchscreens.
Visual Features
Tag: Chat Speech-to-Text & Text-to-Speech
Description: Facilitates text-to-speech and speech-to-text for game chats, enabling real-time narration of text chats and transcription of voice chats.
Tag: Clear Text
Description: Ensures text in menus, control panels, and settings is of a reasonable size and contrast, with options to adjust font style and contrast.
Tag: Large Text
Description: Provides the option for large font sizes in menus, control panels, and settings, relative to the device's screen resolution and typical viewing distance.
Tag: Large & Clear Subtitles
Description: Offers subtitles for all dialogue, with adjustable size, background transparency, and font style, ensuring they do not overlap with important game elements.
Tag: Color Alternatives
Description: Ensures that important information is not solely communicated through color, offering alternatives like shape, pattern, icons, or text.
Tag: Camera Comfort
Description: Includes no camera effects that may cause discomfort or harm, or provides options to turn off or adjust effects like shaking, swaying, bobbing, motion blur, camera speed, and forced narrative-based movement.
