0:00:00.110,0:00:04.580
Every year, I like to take a moment to check[br]in with the games biz, and see how things

0:00:04.580,0:00:06.720
are going in terms of accessibility.

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That’s the art of making a game playable[br]for a wider group of people - by employing

0:00:11.329,0:00:15.969
options and design decisions that can help[br]remove the barriers that get in the way of

0:00:15.969,0:00:17.030
the fun.

0:00:17.030,0:00:21.250
For example - if someone struggles to hear[br]the dialogue, subtitles can give you the same

0:00:21.250,0:00:23.310
information in text form.

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If someone can’t distinguish between two[br]colours, they can be made more distinct with

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symbols or a custom colour palette.

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And if someone’s just struggling to get[br]through a game, they can get a helping hand

0:00:33.440,0:00:34.690
through an assist mode.

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So, how did the games of 2021 fare in this[br]regard?

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Well, I’m Mark Brown, and this is Game Maker’s[br]Toolkit.

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So, I started with the blockbusters.

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I picked 25 of the most noteworthy, best-selling,[br]triple A games released in the last 12 months

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- from Halo Infinite to Ratchet and Clank,[br]from Deathloop to Metroid Dread, from Battlefield

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2042 to Age of Empires - and then I assessed[br]the accessibility options on show.

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Here’s what I found.

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Let’s start with controls.

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As ever, a really important option is the[br]ability to change what the buttons do - and

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of the games I played this year, a whopping[br]70 percent of them offer full remapping.

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That is awesome - that number just keeps on[br]growing.

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And a few more offer presets, which is better[br]than nothing.

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A stand-out game for controls is Ratchet & Clank:[br]Rift Apart.

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You can fully remap the controls, and put[br]shortcuts to specific inputs on the d-pad.

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Plus, for pretty much every button that you[br]need to hold down - you can instead make it

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toggle that action on and off.

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There’s also a really strong aim assist,[br]and you can even turn that into a lock-on.

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You can automatically rotate the camera behind[br]your character.

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You can simplify all traversal down to a single[br]button.

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And more - it’s great.

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Another stand-out game is Far Cry 6 - it divides[br]every button on the controller into three

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different actions - press, hold, and double[br]tap - and can freely map any action between

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any of those slots.

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There’s also a quick “no stick presses[br]mode” to instantly remove all inputs related

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to clicking in the analogue sticks.

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Also worth celebrating is Battlefield 2042[br]for its enormous array of options regarding

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controller sensitivity, right down to the[br]different sized scopes.

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And Riders Republic, which lets you set unique[br]control schemes for its endless methods of transport.

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I’m also a fan of games that let you bypass[br]button-bashing QTEs, which includes It Takes

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Two, Guardians of the Galaxy, and House of[br]Ashes.

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As for games that need to see me after class[br]- well, I’m definitely not a fan of all

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these games with sluggish, Destiny-inspired[br]virtual cursors on their menus - including

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Deathloop and Outriders.

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They can be a nightmare for accessibility.

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And they’re just horrible in general, yuck.

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Thankfully, Far Cry 6 and Pokemon Snap, which[br]also have these cursors, let you click through

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the menus with the d-pad, as well.

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But the worst offender of the year?

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Well, I asked my Twitter followers to name[br]games with poor accessibility and was hit

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with a wave of tweets all mentioning the same[br]game: Metroid Dread.

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And, I’ve got to agree: its full of bizarre[br]moves that require multiple buttons to be

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held down, there are plenty of bits that require[br]very granular movements of the analogue stick,

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and there are absolutely no controller options[br]in the menu.

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Big fat F right there.

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Next up, audio.

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A big deal here is subtitles.

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As ever we’re looking for subtitles that[br]are large.

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That contrast well against the background.

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And that show you the speaker’s name.

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And if you can change any of those settings[br]in the options, it’s even better.

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Again, about 70 percent of the games in my[br]sample provided subtitle options… beyond

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“on and off”.

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So, Guardians of the Galaxy is a good one[br]to look at - turn on all the settings and

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you can get big clear text, on a black background,[br]with speaker names.

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And you can even increase the letting spacing[br]and turn on closed captions to get subtitles

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for sound effects.

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Other stand-out games include Hitman 3, which[br]can show a speech bubble over a character’s

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head, to show exactly who is speaking.

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And Far Cry 6, which continues the series’[br]tradition of providing captions for nearby

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audio sources - complete with an arrow and[br]distance.

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But there are still games that mess this up.

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Outriders has too much text per line, and[br]the words are way too small.

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Battlefield forgot to provide subtitles for[br]its intro cutscene.

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Resident Evil Village has no way of expressing[br]its excellent audio design to a player who

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is hard of hearing.

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And Tales of Arise has acceptable subtitles[br]in its cutscenes, pretty good dialogue windows

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when chatting to characters, but microscopic[br]words during gameplay and combat.

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Also worth noting is just how many games provide[br]a screen reader for menu narration.

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Forza Horizon 5, Age of Empires IV, It Takes[br]Two, Far Cry 6, Riders Republic, Battlefield,

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and Back 4 Blood all include this powerful[br]feature.

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Over to visuals, now.

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I’m looking for options to make it easier[br]to see or read the key elements in the game

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world, the heads up display, and the text[br]in the menus.

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Some games do this by default with nice clear[br]fonts and chunky UI elements - but other games

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would do well to provide options.

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So Age of Empires lets you crank up the size[br]of the game’s UI.

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Life is Strange: True Colours lets you drop[br]the handwritten text in favour of a clean font.

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And House of Ashes lets you increase the text[br]size.

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Far Cry 6 goes further by letting you highlight[br]enemies and pick-ups with a coloured outline

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of your choice.

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And Ratchet goes further still, allowing you[br]to desaturate the background entirely - and

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then turn enemies, pick-ups, and more into[br]big, easy-to-read blobs of colour.

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Colourblind settings are also super important.

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Far Cry 6 wins again, here - you can independently[br]choose the colours of pretty much everything

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in the game.

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Battlefield’s got good options here, too.

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Many other games go for full screen filters,[br]which… are still pretty iffy in terms of

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effectiveness.

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As for misses: Outriders has painfully small[br]text at times, and an option to turn on large

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fonts doesn’t do much at all.

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I had to check I had actually turned it on.

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And Deathloop has this absurd font in its[br]menus, and no way to change it.

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In general, this is still the feature that[br]most games neglect, and that sucks.

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Finally, there’s the ever-contentious category[br]of difficulty.

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Now, with no FromSoftware game released this[br]year, I thought we might just skip the tiresome

0:06:41.030,0:06:45.919
“should Dark Souls have an easy mode”[br]debate in 2021 - but, alas, other games

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took up the mantel, instead.

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Notably Metroid Dread, Returnal, and Deathloop[br]all spawned countless articles and Twitter arguments.

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But I’ve got no interest in digging that[br]up again - so, instead, let’s just look

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at some games that chose to let players dictate[br]their own difficulty level this year.

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Forza Horizon has always been good at this,[br]and game number 5 is no exception: you can

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choose just how much you want you car to take[br]care of steering and braking, you can decide

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how aggressive your rival racers will be,[br]and you can even slow down the entire game

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to increase reaction times.

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Ratchet also provides slow-mo - but, here,[br]it can be turned on and off with a button

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press so you’re not having to move through[br]molasses at all times.

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Psychnonauts 2 lets you get rid of fall damage,[br]make Raz more powerful, or even turn on invincibility.

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And Guardians of the Galaxy lets you tweak[br]a ridiculously large array of options to build

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your own custom difficulty mode.

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A little overwhelming, perhaps, but nice to[br]see - especially alongside some more standard,

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designer-curated difficulty settings.

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So those are the main features you’re going[br]to see in games - alongside a few other standards

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like screen shake and camera bob for motion[br]sickness, and discrete volume knobs to help

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players isolate the key sounds.

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But there are some cool extra features, in[br]specific games, worth noting, too - like these

0:08:04.800,0:08:09.659
optional pop-ups in Life is Strange, which[br]can warn you about upcoming increases in volume

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or brightness.

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I also like this Dead Space-style navigation[br]line in Outriders for helping players find

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their way to the waypoint.

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And I love how both Forza Horizon 5 and Halo[br]Infinite have added prosthetics to their character creators.

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Now, while it’s great for these features[br]to be there on launch day, I think it would

0:08:27.770,0:08:33.380
be wrong to ignore older games that got updated[br]with new accessibility features in 2021.

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For example, Sea of Thieves is constantly[br]adding new accessibility options in pretty

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much every update.

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Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice added stuff[br]like controller remapping and colourblind settings.

0:08:43.850,0:08:49.660
Amnesia: Rebirth received a horror-free Adventure[br]Mode, similar to SOMA’s Safe Mode.

0:08:49.660,0:08:53.216
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut added full voice[br]acting to the whole game.

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And even that dodgy GTA remake added some[br]new accessibility options to the old games.

0:08:58.040,0:09:02.120
So, who is really driving this push for accessibility?

0:09:02.120,0:09:05.529
As in, which companies are doing the best[br]work in this field?

0:09:05.529,0:09:09.759
Well, Microsoft has absolutely ran with it[br]in 2021.

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It updated its Xbox Accessibility Guidelines,[br]and now lets developers on the platform submit

0:09:14.279,0:09:17.000
their games for evaluation and feedback.

0:09:17.000,0:09:20.410
It released a free, four hour accessibility[br]training course.

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It added accessibility tags to the Microsoft[br]Store.

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And introduced new console features like Night[br]Mode, quick settings, and colour filters.

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And we see this ripple out into the publisher’s[br]games, with a huge number of features across

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Age of Empires, Halo Infinite, and Forza Horizon[br]5.

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That last one is really interesting: creative[br]director Mike Brown - no relation - explained

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that the studio made accessibility a core[br]pillar of the game’s design.

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Which meant it would feed into every system[br]in the game, and would not get cut to meet deadlines.

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An absolute power move.

0:09:53.100,0:09:58.709
Sony also does good work - for example, there’s[br]now a PlayStation Store page with accessible games.

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But it seems like it’s more down to individual[br]studios to figure this stuff out.

0:10:02.709,0:10:07.620
Like Insomniac, which is another developer[br]that really puts accessibility at the centre

0:10:07.620,0:10:08.960
of its game design.

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Insomniac is also a really good example of[br]how accessibility options can be re-used across

0:10:14.290,0:10:18.930
games, as many of the smart choices in Ratchet[br]and Clank are actually just ripped straight

0:10:18.930,0:10:21.310
out of last year’s Miles Morales.

0:10:21.310,0:10:25.889
Likewise, over at Ubisoft - another studio[br]that does strong work in this space - many

0:10:25.889,0:10:30.100
of the features in Far Cry 6 are lifted from[br]previous entries.

0:10:30.100,0:10:35.750
EA also has strong accessibility initiatives,[br]and this year it released five accessibility

0:10:35.750,0:10:40.930
patents from its legal grasp - including the[br]fab ping system in Apex Legends.

0:10:40.930,0:10:45.240
And Square Enix has some good stuff going[br]on - you’ll see smart accessibility options

0:10:45.240,0:10:48.699
all throughout Life is Strange and Guardians[br]of the Galaxy.

0:10:48.699,0:10:50.569
But as for disappointing outliers?

0:10:50.569,0:10:54.259
Well… as usual, it’s the games made in[br]Japan.

0:10:54.259,0:10:59.579
Titles like Shin Megami Tensei, Persona 5[br]Strikers, Guilty Gear and Resident Evil are

0:10:59.579,0:11:03.769
missing plenty of options that have become[br]almost industry standard in the west.

0:11:03.769,0:11:08.470
Like, remember those stats about 70 percent[br]of games having controller remapping and 70

0:11:08.470,0:11:10.149
percent having options for subtitles?

0:11:10.149,0:11:15.589
Well, remove the Japanese games and that rises[br]to 80 and 100 percent.

0:11:15.589,0:11:20.890
There are some exceptions - Monster Hunter[br]Rise has a surprising number of features,

0:11:20.890,0:11:27.019
and New Pokemon Snap isn’t too shabby - but,[br]on the whole, Japan is bringing the biz down.

0:11:27.019,0:11:31.139
But that’s just the world of big blockbuster[br]games.

0:11:31.139,0:11:35.300
You know, for my main assessment, I feel like[br]it’s only fare to hold those with multi-million

0:11:35.300,0:11:36.480
dollar budgets to account.

0:11:36.480,0:11:43.480
But, still, indie games are absolutely packed[br]with clever, useful and thoughtful accessibility options.

0:11:43.480,0:11:44.829
Here’s just a few:

0:11:44.829,0:11:49.250
Boyfriend Dungeon has a content warning for[br]its challenging themes - and also lets you

0:11:49.250,0:11:52.959
turn off a feature where your mum calls you[br]up with advice, in case that makes certain

0:11:52.959,0:11:54.399
players uncomfortable.

0:11:54.399,0:12:01.550
Boomerang X has great contrast options, like[br]letting you highlight key enemies with a colour

0:12:01.550,0:12:02.550
of your choice.

0:12:02.550,0:12:05.870
Chicory lets you fiddle with endless settings[br]- letting you turn off everything from flashing

0:12:05.870,0:12:09.470
effects to moist sound effects. Ew.

0:12:09.470,0:12:14.070
Loop Hero’s got a retro aesthetic, but you[br]can increase readability by turning off the

0:12:14.070,0:12:17.680
CRT effect and switching the pixel font to[br]a standard one.

0:12:17.680,0:12:21.920
Toodee and Topdee’s got an assist mode with[br]game speed and infinite lives.

0:12:21.920,0:12:26.259
The new Outer Wilds DLC lets you turn off[br]spooky jump scares.

0:12:26.259,0:12:31.449
And we saw some excellent audio-only games[br]that can be played without sight, like action

0:12:31.449,0:12:36.730
adventure The Vale: Shadow of the Crown, and[br]reckless driving game Blind Drive, which is

0:12:36.730,0:12:41.339
about using the incredible audio design to[br]know when to swerve into another lane.

0:12:41.339,0:12:43.496
*Car sounds*

0:12:43.496,0:12:47.389
*Horn* *Crash* *Broken Glass*

0:12:47.389,0:12:50.660
So - on the whole - I’m impressed.

0:12:50.660,0:12:54.839
Almost every game I sampled has some option[br]intended to make the game playable to those

0:12:54.839,0:12:56.829
with specific needs.

0:12:56.829,0:13:01.709
More than half of the games feature a dedicated[br]accessibility or assist menu.

0:13:01.709,0:13:06.240
And many have these options available as soon[br]as the game loads up for the first time, or

0:13:06.240,0:13:08.880
have a screen reader turned on by default.

0:13:08.880,0:13:11.040
But here’s the thing.

0:13:11.040,0:13:16.279
All of this is, almost exactly what I said[br]in last year’s video.

0:13:16.279,0:13:21.600
You know, key features like subtitles and[br]controller remapping are in the majority of games.

0:13:21.600,0:13:26.529
Indie devs, and companies like Microsoft,[br]EA, and Ubisoft are doing great.

0:13:26.529,0:13:29.089
And Japan is sadly lagging behind.

0:13:29.089,0:13:34.339
So I feel like we’re now at a point where[br]accessibility is just… a given in games.

0:13:34.339,0:13:35.930
Which is excellent!

0:13:35.930,0:13:36.970
And a huge change.

0:13:36.970,0:13:41.910
Like, if we look, at say, Eurogamer in 2011[br]- there wasn’t a single article that mentioned

0:13:41.910,0:13:44.279
accessibility or disability.

0:13:44.279,0:13:50.290
Ten years later, there are dozens of reports[br]on features, and players, and company initiatives,

0:13:50.290,0:13:52.120
and so on.

0:13:52.120,0:13:55.660
Accessibility is just here, and it’s here[br]to stay.

0:13:55.660,0:13:59.420
But now… it’s time to make this stuff[br]work… properly.

0:13:59.420,0:14:04.759
You see, as awesome as it is to see these[br]features in the menu - they’re not, always,

0:14:04.759,0:14:06.779
perfect in execution.

0:14:06.779,0:14:09.930
Those excellent subtitles in Guardians of[br]the Galaxy?

0:14:09.930,0:14:12.899
Great… until they glitch out like this.

0:14:12.899,0:14:18.350
Deathloop lets you toggle on running - but[br]not aiming, and Hitman 3 lets you toggle on

0:14:18.350,0:14:20.470
aiming - but not running.

0:14:20.470,0:14:24.639
Far Cry 6’s captions just says “animal[br]noise”, whether that’s a harmless bird

0:14:24.639,0:14:26.149
or a killer crocodile.

0:14:26.149,0:14:31.029
And Battlefield’s menu narrator mispronounces[br]the first two words it has to say.

0:14:31.029,0:14:34.009
NARRATOR: “Menu Narration ‘Die-sable’.

0:14:34.009,0:14:36.339
Menu Narration ‘Innable’.

0:14:36.339,0:14:39.459
Menu Narration ‘Die-sable’.

0:14:39.459,0:14:41.279
Menu Narration ‘Innable’.”

0:14:41.279,0:14:42.649
What is this, a GMTK episode?

0:14:42.649,0:14:49.249
So, at this point, I can safely say “yes,[br]lots of games have lots of accessibility options”.

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Now the question is - “are they any good?”

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It’s no longer that noteworthy for a game[br]to have these features - now, they need to

0:14:56.550,0:14:59.290
be robust and reliable.

0:14:59.290,0:15:03.910
And I think we’ll get there, as devs hire[br]more consultants, and bake this stuff into

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their games engines, and share their knowledge,[br]and iterate based on feedback and telemetry.

0:15:08.339,0:15:11.949
But that’s going to be difficult for me[br]to ascertain.

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I don’t live with a disability, so I don’t[br]need to rely on these options and, I don’t

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have to judge their effectiveness every time[br]I play.

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Thankfully, there are sites like CanIPlayThat[br]and DAGER, who are putting in the hard work

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to thoroughly review these games from an accessibility[br]perspective - using gamers with disabilities

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as their reviewers.

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There’s also the Taming Gaming database[br]- and, any indie devs watching can get their

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game listed by DMing the site over on Twitter.

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But, ultimately, I think this means I need[br]to cover accessibility in a different way.

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So, this is probably the last annual wrap-up[br]of this type.

0:15:49.230,0:15:51.939
But don’t worry - accessibility is not going[br]anywhere.

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It’s one of the key values for how I run[br]GMTK - whether I’m using it as a lens to

0:15:56.899,0:16:01.869
analyse game design, or putting full subtitles[br]on every video on this channel.

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So perhaps there are just better ways for me to[br]talk about it going forward.

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That starts with me putting accessibility[br]options in my own work, over in my game dev

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series Developing.

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More on that soon.

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And I’ll continue to think about how I can[br]cover this topic in 2022.

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Until then, thanks so much for watching.

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And thanks to the gamers and consultants who[br]helped out on this video.

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See you soon.