It’s About Time Accessible Gaming Was Taken Seriously

NRM: "With the release of Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller, I applaud an industry that is finally looking out for the needs of the disabled gaming community - but let’s not forget the 30+ years of history that led to this development."

[8bitswarrior]

Just saw the video, really good initiative, kudos to Microsoft Xbox Team.

[InsaneChronos]

No, no! I want normal games, not some autoplaying BS.

[Parasyte]

What?

[Gh05t]

Aren't you just a commie little jackhole?

Way to take something posative and then chastise them at the same time.

You actually want the government to regulate accessibility in games? Might as well make every book have an audiobook before it can be released in an actual book and don't forget forcing all those publishers to make every book in brail.

Some problems shouldn't have to be solved by other people. Sometimes if you have a problem you have to solve it yourself. If you have ever broken your arm and been in a cast even temporarily you know that mobility is hindered. When it happened to my friend we didn't complain we got to work and built a controller he could use ourselves.

This is an amazing thing but to say "What took you so long?" is a bullshit response. It's good on them and you can keep your overburdensome government regulations ideas away from the rest of our games.

If you think game development was slow now just imagine what happens when they have to go through the hoops of all the regulations that would go into affect. Say good bye to most indie devs.

[SquishyGorilla]

In the mortal words of Owen Wilson: "Wow."

Let's take this from the top. This is an opinion, and it's completely within your right to have a different one and disagree with me. In fact, I welcome opposing viewpoints, to better understand the whole of a situation beyond my own grasp of it. If you wish to debate, go ahead and do so with the respect you'd pay to any other human being. But I'm disappointed that your grasp of discourse is to throw immature and downright incorrect insults while missing the actual point of this piece.

While I applaud Microsoft's new Adaptive controller, people with disabilities have been attempting to cope with this problem for far longer, and many do not have the appropriate resources to create their own workaround in order to enjoy a game. This has been the case since the dawn of home video games. The fact you think this is a problem they have to solve themselves is, quite frankly, idiotic on your part. And you even recognise your own stupidity by using the example of somebody who is temporarily hindered with a broken arm, rather than someone who is permanently disabled.

Governments (both in the UK where I am and in the US where you (probably) live, correct me if I'm wrong), already do regulate the disability-friendly nature of many elements of society - be it accessible businesses, schools, etc. So looking at your points above, what would be the harm in making every book have an audiobook or produced in brail? Somebody who is blind deserves to enjoy the same experiences as you do.

And these hoops being in place would not only increase the accessibility of video games as a whole, it would probably increase sales with a far wider audience pool in the process, meaning those indie devs you're saying goodbye to would be enjoying the most profitable years of their lives.

So, if you're quite done grandstanding, calling me a "commie little jackhole," ignoring key issues here and seemingly painting yourself as someone who is against disabled people, I welcome your mature response.

[Gh05t]

Trying to take the mature high ground while calling my response idiotic and me stupid is quite ironic.

However, I will do my best to make this a mature line if discourse.

I know it is your opinion, and everyone is free to have one, but that doesn't mean everyone will agree and you shared it publicly so expect others to judge you by it.

Based on both your responses you again prove you think the government should force others to take care of others. No matter how Noble of a cause it is still a socialist concept and socialism is just a step away from communism hence my not as innacurate as you might think remark.

Me talkng about adopting a controller for my friend with a broken arm had nothing to do with it being a temporary disability it had to do with the fact of I do know what it like to have to try to accommodate a disabling for a gamer. Your idea that because I don't think the government should regulate everything in life based off of those who are disabled means that I am against disabled people (which is ironic because I am disabled and legally fall into the government protected class of disabled people) shows that you can't separate the difference between when someone wants companies like MS to do these things on their own and when someone wants someone else (like the government) to make them do it for them. I would also bet that as a US Marine who served in more than a few war zones I know more disabled people who have lost body parts and fuctionality than you ever will unless you volunteer at a hospital.

Now since I am done defending myself from your presumptuous claims I can get down to the nitty gritty. The government regulations in society are in general meant so that disabled people can continue to survive in our society with accessablility hence that a shopping center or restaurant or grocery store or places that are publicy funded must provide a minimum level of accessablility. But places that are not required to do this are things that are purely luxury and entertainment... Like ziplining and theme parks (many larger ones have some but still not required). These companies can not make every ride or idea that works for everyone and if it was required by law then it wouldn't exist. (But as you said do disabled people not deserve to go on roller coasters or ziplines or jet skis or the countless other things that abled people get to do?)

The other part is money and you might scoff at that which is why I brought up an indie dev. But let's take a step back and since you agreed that every book should be an audiobook and brail because everyone "deserves" to have that experience... That means if you wrote a book you couldn't release it digitally even until you printed it in brail (that's not cheap) and also had it produced as an audiobook (also not cheap but cheaper than a hard printed brail book) then you could release that new story you wrote for Amazon Kindles... Let's also bring up that I have yet to see any magazines or news papers in brail at my public library or as audio books. Both these are dying business trying to squeeze by on what little money they do make and you think they should be forced to spend more money to accommodate a disability. Would it be awesome if they did YES, but government forcing them to would put them out of business because the cost to do it would not be returned by the readership. Because you can't sell the brail newspaper for more money then you are literally discriminating against the disabled. Yet it probably would cost 20x more than a printed newspaper because the paper is a way higher quality.

Tbc...

[Gh05t]

...continued

Now imagine being an indie dev and just finished your solo project but you can't release it because you didn't have a colorblind mode... Now this may seem small but that means creating even more assets and more time and more money and you may not have it. And that is probably the easiest disability friendly requirement the government would have. The larger studios could probably afford to implement them in but then you are just punishing a large studio for bieng successful and not holding them to an equal standard if you didn't make everyone do the same thing.

I also think you overblow the amount of sales this would increase by compared to the cost to produce the regulated requirements.

Hence my saying it's not good for the government to regulate these things it will not make things better in the long run it will make them worse, and the better companies do aka MS the more they can do on third own like the adaptive controller.