Breaking Down Accessibility - Let’s Get Visual

Yes, the Olivia Newton-John reference in the title is necessary. Why? Because of culture or some such reason. Anyway, we’re here, we’re talking about Accessibility, and this time it’s visual. We talked last time about a few concepts that crossover into visual aspects of Accessibility, such as Colorblind modes. However, I want to touch on not only those aspects, but broader visual ideas in gaming.

Starting with something we’ve already covered, Colorblind modes are especially helpful in games that have color coordination at their core. Whether that means you have loot that is colored differently based on rarity, or there are puzzles that have color coordination. I have seen puzzle games that had colorblind options, which gave each color an associating symbol that made it so even if you couldn’t tell what color it was, it stood out.

Now, from there, let’s say you have motion sickness. Visual elements in video games can sometimes trigger it. Especially in 3D games where you may need to turn the camera. Sometimes adjusting things such as Motion Blur will help with this. However, in some games where there aren’t motion blur toggling options, this can be a frustrating problem. Personally, if I have the choice, I turn Motion Blur off just because it doesn’t add much visually and can give me a headache.

Something else that can cause headaches is bright lighting for prolonged periods. Brightness settings are practically an industry standard at this point. However, I often find myself having to adjust brightness multiple times in some games. In some cases, darker areas are not well lit enough, so I need brighter levels of brightness just to be able to see.

On the other hand, in snowy areas, oftentimes the snow is textured and colored so brightly that it is hard to function for prolonged periods. An example of this is Rise of the Tomb Raider, which takes place in Siberia. As you can imagine, there’s a lot of snow, which made me need to stop playing for long stretches. Other games like Breath of the Wild however didn’t give me such a problem, either because nighttime sections gave the snow a grayer cast and made it easier on the eyes, or because the snow itself was toned down.

Another issue is something that David recently experienced when trying to review Infernax. Flashing lights (for some people) can cause seizures or migraines. I personally don’t have much of a problem with them, other than occasionally getting a mild headache if I’m in a prolonged sequence. However, it can be much more dangerous for people with Epilepsy or other disorders like Cerebral Palsy. Keep in mind, not everyone with these disorders are affected the same way, so if you know someone with such an issue, talk to them, ask them what makes things more (or less) accessible for them.

I have a tendency to change my gaming habits depending on how I’m feeling. I have chronic migraines, so if I’m having a Migraine I may play something a little more toned down, with a muted color palette. Games like The Binding of Isaac, Dead Cells, or other more “atmospheric” and “moody” games come to mind. On the other hand, on a good day, I may find myself looking for something bright and colorful.

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart also introduced a concept tied to the Gold Bolts you can collect in the game that I thought added another interesting visual layer. By getting certain gold bolts, you unlock filters that can be placed over the game, giving it a different look. Things like monochrome (think old-school black and white), Sepia, Pixel, and other forms change up how you view the game.

Granted, this may not be something that works for everyone, but if you were having a particularly difficult time with a visual aspect in the game, perhaps a different filtering layer would help. Another visual element pertains to in-game maps. Being able to adjust map opacity, as well as the size of the map, can help people immensely. This is especially true if you can’t tell where you are in relation to something else. In fact, I have played games that gave you a map but didn’t show you where you were on it. What’s up with that? What’s the point of the map then?

Waypoints (specifically colors or symbols) can also be helpful in an accessibility context. One issue I had with Monark, was that I couldn’t mark where things were if I needed to return for them later. This led to unnecessary backtracking, which might kill some of my playtime on days I didn’t have the energy for a long session.

Every aspect of the visual experience in a game is important. Whether you are looking at water texture, fog, lighting, writing, color, or some other aspect, it all matters. People who have problems with eye strain may have issues with seeing or playing in foggy areas for long periods of time. This doesn’t mean that fog is a bad thing to include in your game. Instead, it means you should be mindful of how you incorporate it, and how you utilize it.

The use of color is the same way. If you have a colorblind player, and you use a monochromatic game with splashes of color for effect, perhaps provide options that replace reds or greens (for red/green colorblind folks) with other similar (yet more visible) color options. Accessibility is not just about removing or adding things to a game. It is about providing options that remove barriers for people who may be unable to progress through a game without those options.