We spoke to RNIB’s Lorna Forbes and games critic and consultant Laura Dale about how the industry is rethinking its approach to making games accessible to everyone, and why communication is key, even if it means admitting failure.
When The Last of Us Part II, the sequel to Naughty Dog’s hugely popular end-of-the-day game, arrived in 2020, it was hailed as a turning point in the gaming world. Not only because of its compelling storyline and best-in-class character and environmental design, but also because it was a triple AAA title that offered an unprecedented number of accessibility features, roughly 60 in total.
According to games critic and accessibility consultant Laura Dale, its legacy extends beyond the game itself by setting a benchmark for more developers to follow: “Over the past four years in particular, we’ve seen a marked increase in developers actively listening to their users about accessibility, ever since The Last of Us Part II brought the accessibility discussion into the mainstream and demonstrated that innovation in this area could be garnered positive PR and critical acclaim.”
Dale says that accessibility is being taken more seriously across the industry, with studios now working with focus groups and consultants much earlier in the development stage (Naughty Dog worked with seven consultants on The Last of Us Part II): “I can personally attest to the dramatic increase in requests to speak directly with developers about the accessibility of their titles as the past four years have progressed.”
We’ve come a long way, and the journey isn’t over yet. A range of well-designed accessibility features can shape how people play games (independently or with the help of others), what they play (some people feel unwelcome in online competitive or team games), and whether they play at all. Many gamers who took part in a 2022 report from RNIB, a charity that supports the visually impaired, said that poor accessibility had caused them to not play as many games as they would like, or to stop playing games altogether.
