The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has unveiled the Accessible Games Initiative, a groundbreaking "tag" system designed to enhance video game accessibility for consumers. Announced at the Game Developers Conference, this initiative is the result of a collaborative effort involving major industry players such as Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, and Ubisoft. Additional companies like Amazon, Riot Games, Square Enix, and WB Games have also joined, with the ESA overseeing the initiative's management.
Under this new system, participating video game companies will use a set of 24 approved "tags" to label their games, providing clear information about accessibility features. These tags will be displayed alongside the game's project information on digital storefronts and product pages, making it easier for players to find games that meet their accessibility needs.
The 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 initiative aims to break down barriers for the tens of millions of Americans with disabilities, allowing them to fully enjoy the immersive world of video games.
Stanley Pierre-Louis, ESA's president and CEO, emphasized the initiative's importance, 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 occur gradually on a company-by-company basis and is not mandatory. Initially, they will be available in English only, but future expansions and adjustments to the tags are anticipated as the initiative evolves.
Below is a detailed list of the Accessible Games Initiative tags, categorized by their specific features:
Auditory Features
Tag: Multiple Volume Controls
Description: Separate volume controls are available for different types of sounds. You can adjust the volume for music, speech, sound effects, background audio, text-to-speech audio, accessibility audio cues, and voice chat. Additionally, all game sounds can be changed simultaneously using one volume control.
Tag: Mono Sound
Description: This feature allows you to play with mono audio, sending the same audio to all channels, such as both left and right headphones, providing a single, combined audio channel.
Tag: Stereo Sound
Description: With stereo audio, sounds indicate their left or right origin, but do not specify if they are coming from above, below, ahead, or behind you.
Tag: Surround Sound
Description: This setting lets you play with surround sound, allowing sounds to communicate their direction from any angle.
Tag: Narrated Menus
Description: Screen readers or voice narration can be used for menus and notifications. You can navigate through menus one item at a time, with interactions and context changes announced through narration.
Tag: Chat Speech-to-Text & Text-to-Speech
Description: This feature enables text-to-speech and speech-to-text for game chats, allowing text chats to be narrated aloud and voice chats to be displayed as text transcripts in real-time. This tag includes both auditory and visual features.
Gameplay Features
Tag: Difficulty Levels
Description: You can choose from multiple difficulty options, including at least one that reduces the intensity of challenges. The differences between difficulty levels are clearly described.
Tag: Save Anytime
Description: You can manually save your progress at any time, except during game-saving or loading processes or when saving could result in game-breaking scenarios.
Input Features
Tag: Basic Input Remapping
Description: You can rearrange button controls, either by swapping them or using another method. The "Full Input Remapping" tag allows for remapping all game controls and choosing which action is assigned to which input.
Tag: Full Input Remapping
Description: This feature lets you assign any game action to any control for all supported input methods, such as keyboard, mouse, controllers, and virtual on-screen controllers. You can also swap controller stick functionality.
Tag: Stick Inversion
Description: You can change how directional inputs, like thumbsticks or flight sticks, affect game movement in up/down and left/right directions.
Tag: Playable without Button Holds
Description: The game can be played without holding digital inputs like keys or buttons, though some analog inputs like sticks and triggers may still require holds.
Tag: Playable without Rapid Button Presses
Description: This feature allows you to avoid repetitive button actions, such as button mashing and quick-time events.
Tag: Playable with Keyboard Only
Description: You can play the game using only a keyboard, without any other devices.
Tag: Playable with Mouse Only
Description: You can play using only a mouse, including adaptive technology that maps to mouse inputs.
Tag: Playable with Buttons Only
Description: The game and menus can be controlled using only digital inputs like buttons or keys, where the pressure applied does not affect the controls.
Tag: Playable with Touch Only
Description: You can play using only touch controls, without the need for non-touch inputs like buttons or analog sticks.
Tag: Playable Without Motion Controls
Description: This feature allows you to play without using motion controls.
Tag: Playable Without Touch Controls
Description: You can play without using touchpads or touchscreens.
Visual Features
Tag: Chat Speech-to-Text & Text-to-Speech
Description: This feature enables text-to-speech and speech-to-text for game chats, allowing text chats to be narrated aloud and voice chats to be displayed as text transcripts in real-time. This tag includes both auditory and visual features.
Tag: Clear Text
Description: Text in menus, control panels, and settings is at a reasonable size and can have adjustable contrast. The font is less stylized or can be changed to a less stylized option, ensuring readability against all backgrounds.
Tag: Large Text
Description: You can use a large font size for text in menus, control panels, and settings, relative to the device's screen resolution and typical viewing distance.
Tag: Large & Clear Subtitles
Description: Subtitles are available for all dialogue, at a reasonable size relative to the device's screen resolution. The subtitle background transparency can be adjusted, and subtitles do not overlap with important game elements. The font is less stylized or can be changed to a more readable option.
Tag: Color Alternatives
Description: Important information is communicated without relying solely on color, using shape, pattern, icons, or text instead. Color can also be adjusted.
Tag: Camera Comfort
Description: This feature ensures that no camera effects, such as shaking, swaying, bobbing, motion blur, camera speed, or forced narrative-based movement, cause discomfort or harm. These effects can be turned off or adjusted.
