1 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:09,910 Video games are for everyone. And they can even be enjoyed by those who live with disabilities 2 00:00:09,910 --> 00:00:15,520 if game developers make certain design decisions, or introduce special options. 3 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:19,540 In this series of videos, I’ve been looking at how to make games better for those with 4 00:00:19,540 --> 00:00:25,390 auditory, visual, and motor disabilities. We’ve looked at colourblind modes and controller 5 00:00:25,390 --> 00:00:27,620 remapping and subtitle standards. 6 00:00:27,620 --> 00:00:32,610 And for this final episode in the series, I’m looking at one more category: cognitive 7 00:00:32,610 --> 00:00:38,150 disabilities. This covers everything from epilepsy to dyslexia to learning difficulties. 8 00:00:38,150 --> 00:00:42,340 And while it might seem like a challenging topic to approach, there’s plenty of smart 9 00:00:42,340 --> 00:00:47,520 stuff designers can do to improve their games for those living with these disabilities. 10 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:50,731 Part 1 - Simulation Sickness 11 00:00:50,731 --> 00:00:54,960 Simulation sickness is, to put it simply, your eyes telling you that movement is happening, 12 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:58,832 while your inner ear tells you that you’re actually just sat still. 13 00:00:58,832 --> 00:01:00,740 That mismatch can cause your body to react in a pretty uncomfortable way. 14 00:01:00,740 --> 00:01:08,109 You’re going to see it the most in 3D games - especially first and third person ones. 15 00:01:08,109 --> 00:01:13,179 There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, so giving players plenty of options will allow 16 00:01:13,179 --> 00:01:16,549 them to hopefully find a set-up that works for them. 17 00:01:16,549 --> 00:01:21,920 So let players turn off features that affect the movement of the camera, like weapon bob, 18 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:27,509 head bob, screen shake, and motion blur. Giving players control over the game’s field of 19 00:01:27,509 --> 00:01:33,960 view angle is also good - as are sensitivity controls, as these reduce large swinging movements. 20 00:01:33,960 --> 00:01:38,380 And for first person games, you might want to let players turn on a crosshairs of sorts 21 00:01:38,380 --> 00:01:42,009 - even in games without guns, like The Witness. 22 00:01:42,009 --> 00:01:46,990 As a designer, it’s good to be mindful of big, unexpected camera movements - try to 23 00:01:46,990 --> 00:01:51,939 use smooth transitions, instead of quick snaps and fast zooms. 24 00:01:51,939 --> 00:01:56,249 This is obviously a massive deal for virtual reality games, but that’s a whole topic 25 00:01:56,249 --> 00:02:01,950 in of itself. For now, I’ve put links to a GDC talk and a Gamasutra post on VR simulation 26 00:02:01,950 --> 00:02:03,959 sickness in the description for this video. 27 00:02:03,959 --> 00:02:05,509 Part 2 – Sensory Load 28 00:02:05,509 --> 00:02:11,110 A related area is people being overwhelmed by the level of visual activity on the screen 29 00:02:11,110 --> 00:02:15,820 such as bright lights, constant flashes, and lots of things going off at once. This can 30 00:02:15,820 --> 00:02:21,480 affect a wide range of sensory processing issues from autism to migraines and, even 31 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,920 at the far end of the scale, photosensitive epilepsy. 32 00:02:24,920 --> 00:02:30,380 Sensory overload in games is generally based on two things: quick flashes and regular moving 33 00:02:30,390 --> 00:02:35,440 patterns. So identify things that may cause a player to be overwhelmed, and let them disable 34 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:41,070 those features. Just Shapes & Beats has a mode to turn off flashes. And Stardew Valley 35 00:02:41,070 --> 00:02:45,810 lets you change the falling snow effect, which is a pattern that can trigger sensory overload. 36 00:02:45,810 --> 00:02:49,980 You may want to use the tool that Ubisoft and the other big publishers use, called the 37 00:02:49,980 --> 00:02:54,320 Harding flash & pattern analyser. They have a service where you can upload a piece of 38 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:57,440 recorded gameplay and have it analysed to see if there’s anything that doesn’t pass 39 00:02:57,440 --> 00:02:58,780 its criteria. 40 00:02:58,780 --> 00:02:59,700 Part 3 - Dyslexia 41 00:02:59,700 --> 00:03:04,980 Dyslexia is an umbrella term covering people whose reading ability doesn’t match up with 42 00:03:04,980 --> 00:03:09,590 their general developmental level. In video games, it can cause players to struggle to 43 00:03:09,590 --> 00:03:13,090 take in written information and dialogue text. 44 00:03:13,090 --> 00:03:18,530 To combat this, try to make text as clear and easy to read as possible. Just like I 45 00:03:18,530 --> 00:03:24,960 said in the subtitles episode - go for a clean, sans serif font, in mixed case rather than 46 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:31,020 all caps. Go for 1.5x line spacing, and avoid more than 70 characters in a line. And make 47 00:03:31,020 --> 00:03:34,770 sure your text is on a solid background so there’s nothing interfering with the letter 48 00:03:34,770 --> 00:03:35,850 shapes. 49 00:03:35,850 --> 00:03:40,740 But there are also fonts that are specially designed to be easier to read, like the free-to-use 50 00:03:40,740 --> 00:03:47,600 Open Dyslexic, or the premium FS-ME. The developers of the pixelated horror game The Last Door 51 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:52,390 offered Open Dyslexic as an option and the creators said that 14% of people who finished 52 00:03:52,390 --> 00:03:54,700 the game used this typeface. 53 00:03:54,700 --> 00:04:00,569 Also, try to avoid text that advances automatically. Some players need a bit more time than others 54 00:04:00,569 --> 00:04:04,700 to read and comprehend the text on screen. Maybe let it stay on screen until the player 55 00:04:04,700 --> 00:04:07,760 hits a button and moves on to the next line. 56 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:09,900 Part 4 – Executive function 57 00:04:09,900 --> 00:04:14,640 Executive function describes the way we receive, process, and then act on information. For 58 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:19,430 those with learning difficulties, it can take longer to work through these steps. So here 59 00:04:19,430 --> 00:04:22,289 are some key ways to make it easier. 60 00:04:22,289 --> 00:04:25,300 Simplified information 61 00:04:25,300 --> 00:04:30,680 Telling players what to do in clear, simple language is a good start. In a game like Assassin’s 62 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:35,159 Creed Odyssey, characters will explain your next objective in a cutscene - but then the 63 00:04:35,159 --> 00:04:40,520 game will also explicitly tell you what to do in a few simple sentences, where key words 64 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:45,159 are highlighted. This text will stay on screen for the duration of the mission, so players 65 00:04:45,159 --> 00:04:47,550 are reminded what they need to do. 66 00:04:47,550 --> 00:04:51,879 And then you might want to think about options for filtering that information. Things like 67 00:04:51,879 --> 00:04:57,330 filters on map screens to only show the really important stuff. Or the hex grid in Civilization 68 00:04:57,330 --> 00:05:01,610 V, which makes it easier to understand the world map. 69 00:05:01,610 --> 00:05:05,190 Navigation aids 70 00:05:05,190 --> 00:05:10,080 Knowing where to go can be a challenge for some players. So consider options to turn 71 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:16,090 on waypoints, mini-maps, objective markers, and even big floating arrows. Red Dead Redemption 72 00:05:16,090 --> 00:05:21,069 2 lets you turn on a GPS to provide a red line towards your objective. And Super Mario 73 00:05:21,069 --> 00:05:24,979 Odyssey’s assist mode draws blue arrows on the floor, which point you towards the 74 00:05:24,979 --> 00:05:26,719 next part of the game. 75 00:05:26,719 --> 00:05:29,789 Tutorials and practice 76 00:05:29,789 --> 00:05:33,901 Tutorials are important to help all players get up to speed with how things work. But 77 00:05:33,901 --> 00:05:37,960 you can boost their effectiveness for players with cognitive disabilities by letting them 78 00:05:37,960 --> 00:05:41,729 replay these tutorials at any time. Or at least access helpful 79 00:05:41,729 --> 00:05:43,650 instructions from the menu. 80 00:05:43,650 --> 00:05:49,289 In interface-heavy games like Cities: Skylines, optional tool-tips and help windows can remind 81 00:05:49,289 --> 00:05:55,020 players what various parts of the game do - even if they’ve already finished the tutorial. 82 00:05:55,020 --> 00:05:59,379 Practice modes are great, too. Many competitive games offer modes where you can train with 83 00:05:59,379 --> 00:06:04,520 a customisable character, or play offline against bots. This allows people to practice 84 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:07,870 their abilities in a stress-free environment. 85 00:06:07,870 --> 00:06:12,159 This works in single-player games, too, of course. Hub worlds, like the castle in Super 86 00:06:12,159 --> 00:06:17,939 Mario 64 give players a chance to learn the controls and practice at the game in a safe, 87 00:06:17,939 --> 00:06:21,860 challenge-free area. And the practice menu on Bayonetta’s loading screen gives you 88 00:06:21,860 --> 00:06:25,379 time to figure out the controls before going into battle. 89 00:06:25,379 --> 00:06:28,029 Pause, and game speed 90 00:06:28,029 --> 00:06:32,610 Another consideration is pausing, which gives players a moment to take a breath, and consider 91 00:06:32,610 --> 00:06:37,469 what to do next. This pause screen can contain helpful information, like the current objective. 92 00:06:37,469 --> 00:06:42,199 Or it can show a static image of the game, so players can take a moment to assess the 93 00:06:42,199 --> 00:06:45,680 environment without worrying about baddies and hazards. 94 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:50,050 Some games build pausing into the experience, like in the The Sims where you can choose 95 00:06:50,050 --> 00:06:55,309 to stop time in the simulation while you look around. Or in Fallout, where the VATS mode 96 00:06:55,309 --> 00:06:59,400 turns a frantic shooter into a more considered, tactical game. 97 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:04,639 A number of games are also starting to let players simply slow down the pace of the entire 98 00:07:04,639 --> 00:07:09,550 game. Tricky platformer Celeste allows you to change the speed of the game, as part of 99 00:07:09,550 --> 00:07:14,210 its assist mode, to make those precise jumps easier. 100 00:07:14,210 --> 00:07:18,150 Manual saving 101 00:07:18,150 --> 00:07:23,139 Manual save slots let players have more control over the experience. They can save the game, 102 00:07:23,139 --> 00:07:26,759 and then try out different strategies - safe in the knowledge that they can return to an 103 00:07:26,759 --> 00:07:31,299 earlier save point if things go wrong. It’s best when these save files come with screenshots 104 00:07:31,299 --> 00:07:35,250 - to help players remember at what point the game was saved. 105 00:07:35,250 --> 00:07:36,830 Difficulty modes 106 00:07:36,830 --> 00:07:41,290 Allowing the player to reduce the difficulty of the game can be a great inclusion. This 107 00:07:41,290 --> 00:07:46,020 gives people more time to figure things out, and more opportunities to make mistakes before 108 00:07:46,020 --> 00:07:47,719 getting a game over. 109 00:07:47,719 --> 00:07:52,479 Most games simply offer up an array of options, like “easy”, “medium”, and “hard”, 110 00:07:52,479 --> 00:07:56,280 which tweak things like the health of the player character and enemies, or the awareness 111 00:07:56,280 --> 00:08:00,370 of guards in a stealth game, or the speed of other drivers in a racing game. 112 00:08:00,370 --> 00:08:05,930 But other games let you change, or even turn off, individual mechanics and systems. Something 113 00:08:05,930 --> 00:08:10,059 like Dishonored lets you tweak everything from enemy damage and attack frequency, to 114 00:08:10,059 --> 00:08:14,589 the strength of potions and the bravery of guards. And Darkest Dungeon lets you turn 115 00:08:14,589 --> 00:08:19,539 off stressful features like corpses that get in the way after monsters die. 116 00:08:19,539 --> 00:08:24,270 And some titles go even further than that. Underwater horror game SOMA offers an option 117 00:08:24,270 --> 00:08:29,059 to let you turn off enemies entirely. And Furi lets you become invincible, so you can 118 00:08:29,059 --> 00:08:32,680 blitz through boss fights without the stress of dying. 119 00:08:32,680 --> 00:08:38,590 So, making your game more accessible to those with cognitive disabilities isn’t the astronomical 120 00:08:38,590 --> 00:08:43,840 task it might seem. But like all of these videos, the best way is to get your game in 121 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:48,320 front of players who live with these disabilities and work with them to provide options that 122 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:50,380 will improve their experience. 123 00:08:50,380 --> 00:08:55,220 The more you can do, the closer the whole industry will get towards ensuring as many 124 00:08:55,220 --> 00:09:00,540 people as possible can benefit from everything games have to offer. 125 00:09:00,540 --> 00:09:04,430 And that’s a wrap on Designing for Disability - for now, at least. I’ve got some other 126 00:09:04,430 --> 00:09:09,190 ideas for future videos on the same subject. Thanks for watching! And thanks to Ian from 127 00:09:09,190 --> 00:09:14,470 Game Accessibility Guidelines for his help, once again. You can find the full series on 128 00:09:14,470 --> 00:09:18,339 accessibility by clicking on the playlist button that’s on screen right now.