Today, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) 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 was developed by a coalition including Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, and Ubisoft, with additional support from Amazon, Riot Games, Square Enix, and WB Games. The ESA will oversee the initiative, which aims to label games with specific accessibility features using a set of 24 approved tags.
These tags will be displayed on digital storefronts and product pages, providing crucial information about game accessibility. 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.
Stanley Pierre-Louis, ESA's president and CEO, emphasized the importance of this initiative, 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, the tags will be available only in English, with the possibility of expanding or refining the tag set over time.
Accessible Games Initiative Tags:
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 individually, or change all game sounds at once using a single volume control.
Tag: Mono Sound
Description: Allows you to play with mono audio, sending the same audio to all channels, effectively providing a single, combined audio channel.
Tag: Stereo Sound
Description: Enables stereo audio playback, where sounds communicate their left or right origin, but not their vertical or forward/backward position.
Tag: Surround Sound
Description: Supports surround sound, allowing sounds to indicate their direction, including any direction around you.
Tag: Narrated Menus
Description: Provides screen readers or voice narration for menus and notifications. You can navigate menus item by item, and all interactions and context changes are announced through narration.
Tag: Chat Speech-to-Text & Text-to-Speech
Description: Facilitates text-to-speech and speech-to-text for in-game chats. Text chats can be narrated in real-time, and voice chats can be displayed as text transcripts in real-time. This tag includes both auditory and visual features.
Gameplay Features
Tag: Difficulty Levels
Description: Allows you to choose from multiple difficulty settings, including at least one that reduces challenge intensity. The differences between levels are clearly described.
Tag: Save Anytime
Description: Enables manual saving of your progress at any time, except during game-saving or loading, or when saving could cause game-breaking issues.
Input Features
Tag: Basic Input Remapping
Description: Permits rearrangement of button controls. You can swap or rearrange buttons, but for full control remapping, including all game controls and input methods, refer to the "Full Input Remapping" tag.
Tag: Full Input Remapping
Description: Allows you to assign any game action to any control across all supported input methods, such as keyboards, mice, controllers, and virtual on-screen controllers. You can also swap controller stick functions.
Tag: Stick Inversion
Description: Enables you to change how direction inputs, like thumbsticks, affect movement in up/down and left/right directions.
Tag: Playable without Button Holds
Description: Allows gameplay without holding down buttons. Note that some analog inputs might still require holding.
Tag: Playable without Rapid Button Presses
Description: Eliminates the need for repetitive button actions, such as button mashing or quick-time events.
Tag: Playable with Keyboard Only
Description: Supports gameplay using only a keyboard, without the need for any other devices.
Tag: Playable with Mouse Only
Description: Enables gameplay using only a mouse, including compatibility with adaptive technologies that map to mouse inputs.
Tag: Playable with Buttons Only
Description: Allows gameplay using only buttons where pressure sensitivity is not required. The game and menus can be controlled solely with digital inputs.
Tag: Playable with Touch Only
Description: Supports gameplay using only touch controls, without the need for non-touch inputs like buttons or analog sticks.
Tag: Playable Without Motion Controls
Description: Allows gameplay without the use of motion controls.
Tag: Playable Without Touch Controls
Description: Enables gameplay without using touchpads or touchscreens.
Visual Features
Tag: Chat Speech-to-Text & Text-to-Speech
Description: Facilitates text-to-speech and speech-to-text for in-game chats. Text chats can be narrated in real-time, and voice chats can be displayed as text transcripts in real-time. This tag includes both auditory and visual features.
Tag: Clear Text
Description: Ensures text in menus, control panels, and settings is a reasonable size with adjustable contrast. The text is appropriately sized for the device's screen resolution and viewing distance, and the font is less stylized or can be changed.
Tag: Large Text
Description: Provides a large font size option for text in menus, control panels, and settings, suitable for the device's screen resolution and viewing distance.
Tag: Large & Clear Subtitles
Description: Offers subtitles for all dialogue, with text sized appropriately for the device's screen resolution and viewing distance. The subtitle background transparency can be adjusted, and the font can be changed to a less stylized option.
Tag: Color Alternatives
Description: Ensures that color is not the sole method of communicating important information, or that color can be adjusted. Instead, shape, pattern, icons, or text are used to convey information.
Tag: Camera Comfort
Description: Prevents or allows adjustment of camera effects that may cause discomfort or harm, such as shaking, swaying, bobbing, motion blur, camera speed, and forced narrative-based movement.
