My partner is Blind. Video Games are one of our main pass-times together. They bring us joy.
Most games are obviously not accessible to my partner. The games that are- were either made for blind people, or have alternate options/difficulty settings that they can make work. Since we've met, I have spent countless hours describing, assisting, and practicing with them to give them access to games they could never play before.
The games she was able to play without me before we met? If the games were meant for sighted people, she got by with ones that had good sound maps, and options like- endless ammo, endless/infinte health, max health, max life cheats, etc. If meant for Blind people- holy shit she's so good that their username is permanently emblazoned in multiple online games/playerbases.
All that above is to say- my partner is a gamer. When given the tools to play on more even footing with others- a damn good one. She deserves a chance to play all the same games I love and kick my butt at them. I just know that if Splatoon had accessibility for her they'd be whooping me daily.
Giving my partner specific accessibility options for their needs would just present people who want a challenge with more likeminded players seeking similar things. The whole gaming community would benefit as a whole.
The philosophical point of "vision" or "intended experience" is lost on me when actual human beings are being excluded from everything including city design to video game designs and more.
Oh? Someone beat the Tryhard Game on a lower difficulty because of Disability? Gasp! Quick! Hide my life savings and gold plated toilet seat, because clearly they are coming to take all of my achievements from me alongside my life's work!!! /s
Has anyone considered that when you are playing life on hard mode (being Disabled) lowering the difficulty settings in a game means it just as hard for some Disabled folks to beat it, as it was for you when you played it on hard or average? They just actually stand a chance now. They still had to try.
Loose example using numbers for clarity:
Disabled person using difficulty settings has difficulties that amounts to negative 5 ease of playability, while players who don't use the easier modes amount to Base 0. The Disabled player who needs/uses easy mode is now at Base 0 with everyone else, not +5.
The only thing I can ever hear when people argue against accessibility options in games is, "I want to feel special, and somehow including Disabled people won't let me do that anymore. So, instead of learning to cope, I demand and expect Disabled people to be left out in the cold even longer than they already have."
OtherAcctIsFuckedUp t1_j2ctfnt wrote
Reply to Why are some people against accessibility options? by [deleted]
My partner is Blind. Video Games are one of our main pass-times together. They bring us joy.
Most games are obviously not accessible to my partner. The games that are- were either made for blind people, or have alternate options/difficulty settings that they can make work. Since we've met, I have spent countless hours describing, assisting, and practicing with them to give them access to games they could never play before.
The games she was able to play without me before we met? If the games were meant for sighted people, she got by with ones that had good sound maps, and options like- endless ammo, endless/infinte health, max health, max life cheats, etc. If meant for Blind people- holy shit she's so good that their username is permanently emblazoned in multiple online games/playerbases.
All that above is to say- my partner is a gamer. When given the tools to play on more even footing with others- a damn good one. She deserves a chance to play all the same games I love and kick my butt at them. I just know that if Splatoon had accessibility for her they'd be whooping me daily.
Giving my partner specific accessibility options for their needs would just present people who want a challenge with more likeminded players seeking similar things. The whole gaming community would benefit as a whole.
The philosophical point of "vision" or "intended experience" is lost on me when actual human beings are being excluded from everything including city design to video game designs and more.
Oh? Someone beat the Tryhard Game on a lower difficulty because of Disability? Gasp! Quick! Hide my life savings and gold plated toilet seat, because clearly they are coming to take all of my achievements from me alongside my life's work!!! /s
Has anyone considered that when you are playing life on hard mode (being Disabled) lowering the difficulty settings in a game means it just as hard for some Disabled folks to beat it, as it was for you when you played it on hard or average? They just actually stand a chance now. They still had to try.
Loose example using numbers for clarity: Disabled person using difficulty settings has difficulties that amounts to negative 5 ease of playability, while players who don't use the easier modes amount to Base 0. The Disabled player who needs/uses easy mode is now at Base 0 with everyone else, not +5.
The only thing I can ever hear when people argue against accessibility options in games is, "I want to feel special, and somehow including Disabled people won't let me do that anymore. So, instead of learning to cope, I demand and expect Disabled people to be left out in the cold even longer than they already have."