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Players with disabilities score in video game world

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Daniel Hoffman, Agence France-Presse 

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Blind streamer and Street Fighter V champion Sven van de Wege hosts a live on his Twitch channel " blindwarriorsven="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/overseas/04/04/games.jpg"/><figcaption>Blind streamer and Street Fighter V champion Sven van de Wege hosts a live on his Twitch channel &quot;BlindWarriorSven&quot; in his apartment in The Hague on Aug. 24, 2021. <em>Kenzo Tribouillard, AFP/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>SAN FRANCISCO — Carlos Vasquez is a master of video fighting game &quot;Mortal Kombat&quot; despite being unable to see the action on screen because he is blind.</p><p>The Texas resident -- who relies on sound to time punches, kicks and dodges -- is among a chorus of voices calling for better access to gaming for people with disabilities.</p><p>&quot;You have two characters across the screen fighting each other, left and right, and you just have to memorize the buttons,&quot; said Vasquez, explaining what drew him to &quot;Mortal Kombat&quot;.</p><p>Long neglected by the industry, the issue of accessibility is increasingly front of mind for game makers.</p><p>There are financial as well as ethical reasons for opening doors to even more players in the multi-billion dollar industry.</p><p>According to the World Health Organization, more than a billion people live with some form of disability. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/12/03/21/covid-19-worsens-struggles-of-families-with-special-needs-children">&#x27;Sana mabigyan din ng pansin’: COVID-19 worsens struggles of families with special needs children</a></li></ul><p>Microsoft, the tech powerhouse behind Xbox and its cloud game streaming service, estimates that there are some 400 million players with disabilities.</p><p>Vasquez&#x27;s prowess caught the attention of &quot;Mortal Kombat&quot; maker NetherRealm Studios owned by Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment.</p><p>At his suggestion, the studio added audio cues to help blind gamers identify objects that they can interact with in the game.</p><div><strong>GAMING BETTER</strong></div><p>Game makers are keeping accessibility in mind when designing software, adding settings intended to level the field for players with disabilities. </p><p>Games can be tweaked to let artificial intelligence or other human players lend assistance when needed. </p><p>Options can be built in to bypass obstacles insurmountable due to a disability.</p><p>&quot;The approach we have is to try to make accessibility part of the DNA of everyone in the company,&quot; said David Tisserand, head of the initiative at French video game giant Ubisoft.</p><p>&quot;We really want to make sure that everyone understands that accessibility is part of their mandate.&quot;</p><p>In March, the second annual Video Game Accessibility Awards were handed out to titles best adapted to people with disabilities.</p><p>Games that won honors included car racing title &quot;Forza Horizon 5,&quot; which was the first to ever support American and British sign language.</p><p>&quot;Things are a lot better than they were decades ago because games can somewhat be fixed with update patches,&quot; noted Chris Robinson, a Chicago-based gamer who was born deaf and hosts DeafGamersTV channel on video game streaming site Twitch.</p><p>Helpful visual or audio features in recent releases such as &quot;Last of Us Part II&quot;, Marvel&#x27;s &quot;Guardians of the Galaxy&quot;, and &quot;Far Cry 6&quot; have gotten kudos from players with disabilities.</p><p>Despite the progress, players interviewed by AFP were adamant that more needs to be done and wanted to be heard in the process.</p><p>For example, larger type in subtitles and visual cues on screen make a world of difference to deaf players, said Robinson.</p><div><strong>HATERS AND TROLLS </strong></div><p>&quot;The other challenge is communication with other players who can hear,&quot; said Soleil Wheeler, a 16-year-old deaf gamer who uses the handle &quot;Ewok&quot;.</p><p>Thousands of people tune into to watch Wheeler playing battle-royale games &quot;Fortnite&quot; and &quot;Apex Legends&quot; online.</p><p>The teenager eagerly awaits a time when conversations in online multiplayer games are displayed as captions in real-time during play.</p><p>Hardware accessories are rare for players with limited use of their hands, said David Combarieu, chief of Hitclic, a French startup that designs gear enabling people with motor disabilities to game at a competitive level.</p><p>Microsoft makes a special adaptive controller for Xbox games, at a price of $100, before adding in costs for customization. </p><p>Yet, there is no controller equivalent offered by Xbox&#x27;s console market rivals Sony and Nintendo, said Combarieu.</p><p>Online platforms have a diverse range of players, but they can still be badgered with insulting or abusive comments by &quot;trolls&quot; and &quot;haters,&quot; said teen gamer Wheeler.</p><p>&quot;I am not letting them waste my time,&quot; Wheeler said. &quot;I pick my battles wisely as I navigate through life.&quot;</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse </strong></div><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES: </strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RRsEnG2WclE?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

Long neglected by the industry, the issue of accessibility is increasingly front of mind for game makers.

Players with disabilities score in video game world

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Players with disabilities score in video game world

Daniel Hoffman,

Agence France-Presse

Published April 04, 2022 11:44 AM PHT

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