10 Common Misconceptions About Accessibility In Video Games
1. Accessibility Features Are Just For Disabled Gamers
“But, how will we POLICE it?!”, said the gamer who was disturbingly over-interested in the personal hobbies of another person he’d never met before. “How do we KNOW it’s only the disabled people that are using these features? People could ABUSE those options!”
Have you ever taken the lift when you could have taken the stairs? Like, ever? Or bought pre-chopped onions instead of buying them whole, even though you have the chopping arm of a lumberjack?
My disability is, in the grand scheme of things, pretty minor. I get to enjoy most of my life just fine (with a few special caveats and a lot of extra resting). But y’know what? If given the option, I’ll play games on easier difficulties, or if the game allows for gameplay parameter tailoring (like the recent Star Wars: Fallen Order and its option to allow you to extend the window for parrying), I’ll do that too.
And, even if I didn’t have to play Pain Roulette(tm) and woke up tomorrow completely healed - I reckon I’d keep doing it.
You know why? Because gaming is my release. It’s my escapism. It’s fun, it’s relaxing, and it’s a bit of peace. Of course, yes, these features exist to help those that need them, first and foremost... but, just like the Vegan Fillet Burger at KFC, you don’t need to be an insufferable Turbo Vegan to enjoy one.
After all, they’re optional. That’s why they’re called options.