Barriers to gaming
Broadly speaking there are eight categories where barriers can exist within games. Each barrier category presents unique challenges that can negatively impact play.
To overcome those unintentional barriers we at PlayAbility believe the best tool is the lived experience of disabled people, combined with expert knowledge of games accessibility practices. With these combined skills PlayAbility can offer deep and rich feedback to make games more accessible for everyone.
1. Low Vision 2. Colourblind 3. Blind 4. Hard of Hearing | d/Deaf
5. Strength & Dexterity 6. Cognitive 7. Speech 8. Emotional
Because gaming is for everyone.
Why Accessibility
“Solve for one, extend to many”
-Inclusive Design Tenant
People with disabilities represent a huge market.
One billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, experience some form of disability
World Report on Disability - World Health Organization 2011
There is also a common misconception that people with disabilities don’t have money for recreational activities like gaming.
The total after-tax disposable income for working-age people with disabilities is about $490 billion.
The American Institutes for Research April 2018
The games industry in growing to see the importance of accessibility having dedicated awards and increased visibility.
If you are a game developer looking to make your game playable to a larger audience, get in touch and we would love to help.