Blind games and gaming: Availability and accessibility
Carlos Vasquez is a streamer and competitive Mortal Kombat player. He has competed at EVO which is the largest fighting game tournament in the world, with over 9000 people competing this year. Carlos is also completely blind. So, how does he do it?
Sometimes, Carlos takes advantage of what he calls “accidental accessibility.” This refers to features of games that accidentally make it easier for blind gamers to navigate their environment and map the world they’re playing in, despite not being designed for that purpose. For example, being able to hear footsteps behind a wall or when someone is walking on grass. He also memorises game layouts, button sequences, and setups, which are particularly good in 2D fighting games. Carlos now works with developers to increase accessibility and hosts a tournament, called The Sento Showdown, for visually impaired people to showcase their talent.
Board games and video games provide not only entertainment but a sense of achievement and community as well. The stats for video games are mind-blowing. There are approximately 3.09 billion active video gamers worldwide and this is expected to reach 3.32 billion by 2024. The popularity of board games shot up during the pandemic. The global market for board games was worth $9.3 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow by 9% each year. There was a 240% increase in board game sales in the first week of lockdown in 2020. These trends show just how important the world of games and gaming could be for many VI people when it comes to enjoying life.
The image shows a monopoly board with all associated pieces and monopoly money surrounding it.
There are a number of board games with accessible, tactile versions. The most popular game in the UK, Monopoly, has a version with large print text and braille along the permitter so blind and VI people can identify the space or property. Another newer game with a tactile addition is UNO. There are many tactile versions of traditional games such as checkers, chess, cards, scrabble, dominoes, dice, and puzzles.
The situation for video games is improving but still has a long way to go. In 2022, The Last of Us Part 1 was released for PS5. This had embedded features for VI people and was the first game that Carlos could complete 100% of without assistance. Other games such as Mortal Kombat, can be partially played or completed. There are an increasing number of helpful features in many games such as handset shortcuts, menu reader, or lock-on aim in fighting or shooting games.
What Carlos and his community of blind gamers show are the many creative ways VI people can come up with to play games that aren’t yet readily accessible to them. Through his sensitivity to sound design, Carlos found a unique way of playing and became so successful that sighted players ask him for tips. It’s essential to advocate for accessibility in games and gaming. It’s an increasing part of the lives of so many people across the world.