Hey guys. Indie Gamer Chick here. I have some important stuff I thought you guys might want to go over. As many of you know, I live with epilepsy, and it makes some aspects of gaming impossible for me. Ive always advocated that developers should never compromise their artistic vision to cater to myself or to others who have specific disabilities that could limit their ability to play games. Instead, Ive promoted the idea of making certain things be optional. My personal trigger is strobe effects. Bright, screen-wide flashing is my worst one, but like most people in the epilepsy spectrum, my triggers can be all over the place in sensitivity. Since starting Indie Gamer Chick in July of 2011, over twenty game developers have added such switches into their games after consulting me, and Ive spoken with managers of major triple-A studios about it. Today, a game with a lot of hype on it was released that is the first widely-promoted game to include such options for epilepsy. Its not an Xbox One game, so I cant mention the name of the game, lest I be vaporized by space lasers. But this is milestone moment in gaming. But epilepsy is hardly the only gaming limitation out there. Many of my readers live with conditions like colorblindness, hearing impairments, or muscular problems. As artists, you guys should strive to reach as wide an audience as possible. At the same time, nobody should be demanding you or anyone else compromise your artistic expression so that a small minority of unfortunate people can play your games. Thats why Im endorsing Game Accessibility Guidelines. Its a not-for-profit that aims to educate developers on potential problem areas. Its still getting off the ground, but this site is the real deal. It can answer many of your questions on a wide range of gaming accessibility issues. Ive personally consulted on the sections related to epilepsy, and time and care were given to other areas. Again, we dont want you guys to alter your games against your will. Our mission is to make certain problematic aspects be optional. Not all of you will have the time or resources to be able to do this. If you cant, do NOT change your games to cater to us. When you start to compromise on your vision is when people start to resent those you aim to help. Thats why I respect the guys at GAG (good lord, they need a better acronym). They believe what I believe. Theres no sense of entitlement here. So have a look. You can feel free to ask any questions. They will work with you and are always available to field questions or offer pointers or suggestions. Much love to the indie community. You guys have always been awesome about this stuff with me. You can contact one of the main guys working on it, Ian Hamilton, on Twitter here https://twitter/ianhamilton_
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 02:05:59 +0000
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