Accessibility as Craft

The Compliance View

Conventional accessibility work looks like:

• Subtitles
• Colorblind modes
• Remappable controls
• Done at the end

This is necessary. It's not sufficient.

The compliance view treats accessibility as adding features for disabled players. It's additive, late, often underfunded.

The Craft View

The craft view sees accessibility as design quality. Accessible videogames are well-designed videogames.

• Clear visual hierarchy → good design AND readable for low vision
• Responsive controls → good feel AND usable for motor impairments
• Multiple difficulty options → respects player time AND enables more players
• Clear audio cues → good feedback AND playable without sight

Good design is accessible design. They're not separate goals.

Why "Craft" Not "Feature"?

A feature is bolted on. It has a scope, a budget, a checkbox.

A craft is woven through. It's a way of thinking, not a deliverable.

Calling accessibility a craft means:

• It's considered from the start
• It's everyone's responsibility (not one specialist's)
• It's ongoing (not one release milestone)
• It's skilled work (not just implementation)

Core Accessibility Domains

Domain	What it addresses	Craft questions
Visual	Low vision, blindness, colorblindness	Is the screen readable at a glance? Does color alone convey information?
Auditory	Deafness, hard of hearing	Is audio information redundantly presented? Are subtitles good?
Motor	Limited mobility, precision, fatigue	Are controls flexible? Are time-sensitive moments adjustable?
Cognitive	Learning differences, attention, memory	Is information clearly presented? Can pace be controlled?

Every player exists on spectrums in all four domains. "Disabled" isn't a binary.

Accessibility as Design Constraint

Constraints drive creativity. Accessibility constraints are design constraints.

"This videogame must be playable with one hand" isn't a limitation - it's a prompt. What designs emerge from that constraint?

• Celeste's assist mode emerged from thinking about who gets to finish videogames
• The Last of Us Part II's accessibility options were designed alongside core mechanics
• Hades's "God Mode" respects player time without removing challenge

These aren't compromises. They're design innovations.

Common Objections (And Responses)

"Accessibility undermines artistic vision."

Does difficulty selection undermine vision? Does subtitles undermine vision? Accessibility is player options, not mandate. The core experience is still there.

"Our audience doesn't need it."

Your audience includes disabled players. 20-25% of people have some form of disability. You just don't see them because they can't play your videogame.

"We don't have the budget."

Accessibility built from the start costs less than accessibility retrofitted. The cheapest accessibility is considered design.

"Some videogames are meant to be hard."

Hard for whom? A timing-based videogame is harder for someone with motor impairments. Is that the challenge you intended? Celeste is hard AND accessible.

Practical Accessibility Craft

Visual

• Don't rely on color alone (shape, pattern, position as redundant cues)
• Scalable text
• High contrast option
• Screen reader support for menus

Auditory

• Subtitles (good ones: speaker identification, sound effects)
• Visual cues for important sounds
• Adjustable audio channels

Motor

• Remappable controls
• Toggle vs. hold options
• Adjustable timing windows
• One-handed control schemes

Cognitive

• Clear objectives
• Adjustable speed/pace
• Save anywhere
• Minimize memory load

Accessibility in VG101

We integrate accessibility throughout the course, not as a single topic:

• Week 5 (Feedback & Readability): Feedback channels as accessibility - if all feedback is audio, deaf players are excluded
• Week 7 (Feel Experiment): Adjust timing variables. How does changing them change who can play?
• Case studies: Analyze how videogames handle accessibility

Key message: Accessibility isn't extra. It's part of craft.