How video games become more accessible (Encore)

Summary

Summary of "How Video Games Become More Accessible (Encore)" | The Indicator from Planet Money

Release Date: December 26, 2024
Host: Adrienne Ma & Waylon Wong
Producer: Corey Bridges
Engineering: Robert Rodriguez
Fact-Checked by: Sierra Juarez and Cake
Edited by: Cannon
Production: NPR

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1. Introduction to the Episode

In this encore episode, The Indicator from Planet Money spotlights the ongoing efforts to make the video game industry more accessible to individuals with disabilities. Hosted by Adrienne Ma and Waylon Wong, the episode delves into personal stories, industry shifts, and the pivotal role of advocates in transforming gaming accessibility.

2. Steve Spahn's Story and Early Gaming

The episode opens with the inspiring story of Steve Spahn, who discovered video games at the age of 12 despite living with spinal muscular atrophy—a condition that progressively limits muscle use.

[00:44] Steve Spahn: "I told her that I was too disabled, there's no way that I could. And she challenged me that there was no reason I couldn't just hold the controller."

Steve recounts how a compassionate nurse introduced him to gaming, sparking his passion despite physical limitations. Using a powered wheelchair, Steve found innovative ways to engage with games, such as using a dentist pick to press keyboard keys or employing a special hat with sensors to control gameplay by tilting his head.

[00:44] Steve Spahn: "I was using a powered wheelchair, so why couldn't I hold the controller?"

3. The Shift in the Video Game Industry

Adrienne Ma sets the context by highlighting that accessibility was historically an afterthought in the video game industry. However, recent years have seen a paradigm shift as developers and advocates collaborate to create more inclusive gaming experiences.

[03:10] Adrienne Ma: "For most of video game history, accessibility was sort of an afterthought, if it was thought of at all. But that is starting to change."

4. The Last of Us Part II: A Case Study in Accessibility

A significant turning point discussed is the release of "The Last of Us Part II" by Naughty Dog in 2020. This action-adventure game, set in a post-apocalyptic world, became a benchmark for accessibility in gaming.

[03:10] Adrienne Ma: "But the Last of Us Part two was pretty different in this respect."

5. Conversation with Emilia Schatz and Game Design Adjustments

Emilia Schatz, the lead designer at Naughty Dog, shares her journey towards prioritizing accessibility. Initially motivated by a desire to create a game her non-gaming mother could enjoy, Emilia and her team began simplifying controls and adding options to make gameplay more intuitive.

[04:09] Emilia Schatz: "I mostly was just like, okay, I want my mom to play this game. That was my goal."

These initial efforts garnered positive feedback, prompting the team to expand accessibility features. Collaborating with disability advocates and gamers with disabilities, they integrated over 60 different accessibility options into "The Last of Us Part II."

[05:41] Adrienne Ma: "As Amelia and her colleagues started working on their next game, the Last of Us Part two, that question kind of snowballed."

Notable features include customizable controller mappings for players with physical disabilities, enhanced visual cues for those with hearing impairments, and comprehensive tools for visually impaired gamers.

6. Ross Minor's Experience and Impact

Ross Minor, an accessibility consultant and avid gamer, provides a firsthand account of how "The Last of Us Part II" transformed his gaming experience as a blind player.

[07:14] Adrienne Ma: "That is, until he played the Last of Us Part ii."

Ross highlights features like a screen reader, voiceover descriptions, detailed sound cues, and a unique sonar pulse option that allowed him to navigate and interact with the game environment effectively.

[07:29] Ross Minor: "I'm not an emotional person, but like, it literally brought tears to my eyes because something like this was never done before."

The game's pioneering accessibility earned it the first-ever Innovation in Accessibility award at the Game Awards, setting a high standard for the industry.

[08:13] Adrienne Ma: "The Last of Us Part two... gave it its first ever innovation and Accessibility award."

7. Industry Impact and Future Prospects

Ross Minor expresses optimism about the future of game accessibility, emphasizing the financial and inclusive benefits for game companies.

[08:30] Ross Minor: "I'm 100% positive it will because at the end of the day, it also just makes great financial sense, right."

Statistics underscore the importance of this shift, with approximately 13% of the global population living with some form of disability—a figure that is even higher within the gaming community.

8. Ongoing Efforts by Advocates like Steve Spahn

Despite the progress, Steve Spahn urges vigilance to ensure that accessibility remains a priority in the gaming industry. Through his nonprofit, AbleGamers, Steve not only provides resources and information but also advocates for continued advancements in game accessibility.

[09:10] Steve Spahn: "Now it's a matter of keeping people caring. It's not something that can be taken for granted."

AbleGamers also offers personalized consultations for gamers with disabilities, ensuring that they have access to the necessary assistive technologies to enjoy video games fully.

[09:49] Steve Spahn: "You really want to meet people where they are... bring the technology and the gaming to them rather than making them come to you."

9. Conclusion

The episode concludes by acknowledging the collaborative efforts between game developers and disability advocates that have significantly enhanced accessibility in video games. While celebrating the strides made by titles like "The Last of Us Part II," the hosts emphasize the ongoing need for dedication to inclusivity to ensure that all gamers can participate and enjoy the evolving landscape of video gaming.

[10:03] Adrienne Ma: "And Steve says that's something game companies should think about too."

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Steve Spahn [00:44]: "I was using a powered wheelchair, so why couldn't I hold the controller?"
• Emilia Schatz [04:09]: "I mostly was just like, okay, I want my mom to play this game. That was my goal."
• Ross Minor [07:29]: "I'm not an emotional person, but like, it literally brought tears to my eyes because something like this was never done before."
• Ross Minor [08:30]: "I'm 100% positive it will because at the end of the day, it also just makes great financial sense, right."
• Steve Spahn [09:10]: "Now it's a matter of keeping people caring. It's not something that can be taken for granted."
• Steve Spahn [09:49]: "You really want to meet people where they are... bring the technology and the gaming to them rather than making them come to you."

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the episode's exploration of the strides made towards making video games more accessible, the personal stories that highlight these changes, and the ongoing advocacy required to sustain and advance inclusivity in the gaming industry.

Transcript

[Adrienne Ma]

What's up, indicator listeners? We're taking this week to highlight some of our favorite episodes from the past year. And today's episode is about how advocates have been pushing the video game industry to be more accessible to folks with disabilities. Hope you enjoy NPR. It was around the age of 12 when Steve Spahn discovered video games. He was at home, which is where he was most of the time, because he has spinal muscular atrophy.

[Waylon Wong]

It's a condition that gradually takes away a person's ability to use their muscles. And one time one of the nurses helping him asked, have you ever tried playing video games?

[Steve Spahn]

And I told her that I was too disabled, there's no way that I could. And she challenged me that the there was no reason I couldn't just hold the controller. I was using a powered wheelchair, so why couldn't I hold the controller? And she brought over a Nintendo and it was like love at first sight. I literally kidnapped it and wouldn't let her take it back. And yeah, it was really great. I ended up falling in love and beating Mario.

[Waylon Wong]

As Steve's condition progressed over the years and moving became more difficult, he's had to find more creative ways to keep playing, like using a dentist pick to push keys on a keyboard or wearing a special hat with sensors that allows him to control a game by tilting his head.

[Adrienne Ma]

And he's had to do all this because for a long time, the video game industry just was not thinking about gamers like Steve or gamers with disabilities generally. But that is starting to change. This is the indicator for Planet Money. I'm Adrienne Ma.

[Waylon Wong]

And I'm Waylon Wong. Today on the show, how advocates and game developers are shifting the status quo on accessibility.

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[Adrienne Ma]

So for most of video game history, accessibility was sort of an afterthought, if it was thought of at all. But then back in 2020, a company called Naughty Dog released a game called the Last of Us Part II. Now, the Last of Us Part 2 is this action adventure game where you run, jump and shoot your way through this sprawling, post apocalyptic world, which is filled with zombies.

[Ross Minor]

Give me your hand.

[Steve Spahn]

We're gonna have to run.

[Adrienne Ma]

Now. Normally, this sort of game just would not be accessible to players with hearing, vision, or physical disabilities. But the Last of Us Part two was pretty different in this respect.

[Waylon Wong]

Emilia Schatz is a lead designer at Naughty Dog, and she says years before she started working on the game, she hadn't necessarily been thinking about how to make it more accessible to people with disabilities. She was really thinking about how to make one of her games accessible to her mom.

[Emilia Schatz]

I mostly was just like, okay, I want my mom to play this game. That was my goal.

[Adrienne Ma]

And the reason was Emelia's mom would often be like, I don't really understand what it is you do. And Amelia thought, well, if you could just play the game, you would get it. But a big obstacle for her mom was learning the controller. You know, with its buttons and multiple joysticks, could be pretty overwhelming for a non gamer.

[Waylon Wong]

At the time, Emilia was working on a game called Uncharted 4. And she thought, what if we added an option that players could turn on that would basically simplify the controls, make gameplay easier. Then my mom could enjoy all the cool games I'm making.

[Adrienne Ma]

Has she played the games that you've made?

[Emilia Schatz]

Yes, but I don't know how much she enjoyed it. That's the thing.

[Waylon Wong]

Oh, such a tough audience, those moms.

[Adrienne Ma]

Who cannot relate, Right?

[Waylon Wong]

So these new features didn't make a gamer out of Emelia's mom, but they did get a lot of positive feedback from other people who played the game. And so Emilia and her colleagues thought, what other options could they add to a game to make it accessible to even more people, including those with disabilities?

[Adrienne Ma]

And so they started having meetings with disability advocates and gamers with disabilities. And at one of these meetings, a gamer who is Blind asked them, could they make an option that would allow him to play one of their games? Like somebody who could not see a screen at all.

[Emilia Schatz]

And to be honest, I mean, the first thought in my head was like, probably not, you know, like, no, I don't think so. But it was so interesting of a question. And it got me thinking about I couldn't let it go.

[Adrienne Ma]

So as Amelia and her colleagues started working on their next game, the Last of Us Part two, that question kind of snowballed. They thought, why just focus on one dimension of accessibility? And after a lot of experimenting and consulting with gamers with disabilities, the developers eventually added more than 60 different accessibility options to the game.

[Waylon Wong]

For example, players had the option to reassign what each switch and button does, which could be really helpful for players with certain physical disabilities. Players with hearing impairments could turn on multiple visual cues. And then there were options aimed at people with vision related disabilities. People like Ross Minor.

[Ross Minor]

Growing up, so many blind people, including myself, have developed crazy, convoluted ways to play video games.

[Adrienne Ma]

Ross works as an accessibility consultant and actually specializes in video games, which he says he's been playing since he was a little kid. He remembers back then this Pokemon video game was really hot. And even though he couldn't see the screen, he adapted.

[Ross Minor]

I literally went home and got my Game Boy and memorized every single sound in the game just to play alongside my friends.

[Waylon Wong]

Over time, Ross figured out how to play other kinds of games, even if they weren't designed with him in mind. But there were certain games that Ross thought he would never be able to play. What some call AAA games. Big budget epic titles with epic storylines that often require players to navigate vast 3D worlds.

[Ross Minor]

I had these thoughts when I was a kid, like, oh, if they added this feature, I'd be able to play the game. But it always just seemed like a pipe dream.

[Adrienne Ma]

That is, until he played the Last of Us Part ii. Because it had all these accessibility options for vision impaired players. There was a screen reader that helped him navigate menus, a voiceover that described what was going on in scenes, and, oh, the sound cues.

[Ross Minor]

Sound cues for when you need to vault over something, when you need to crouch when you're aiming at an enemy. Like, there's so many different sound cues. It's, it's truly a work of art.

[Waylon Wong]

But maybe his favorite feature was an option that allowed a player to send out a sort of sonar pulse in the game.

[Ross Minor]

And then like in stereo, you know, it'll play like a sound to the left or A sound far off to the right and then you can track that object and it'll guide you to it. So, yeah, you're literally able to go through the entire game. You're able to collect items and weapons and all of that completely by yourself. I'm not an emotional person, but like, it literally brought tears to my eyes because something like this was never done before.

[Adrienne Ma]

This game, the Last of Us Part two, kind of set a high watermark for game accessibility. And in fact, the game awards, which are sort of the Oscars of video games, gave it its first ever innovation and Accessibility award. And since then, Ross says he's been seeing more and more game companies follow that example.

[Ross Minor]

I have hope that this trend will continue. I'm 100% positive it will because at the end of the day, it also just makes great financial sense, right, Because.

[Waylon Wong]

A lot of people with disabilities play games. According to the Census Bureau, about 13% of the overall population has some sort of disability. And according to some estimates, the percentage is even higher in the gaming community. Ross says it's a big market.

[Adrienne Ma]

But on the other hand, Steve Spahn, who's the gamer we met at the top, who has spinal muscular atrophy, he's less confident that companies will always be willing to address the needs of disabled gamers. I mean, don't get him wrong, he says there's definitely been progress.

[Steve Spahn]

Now it's a matter of keeping people caring. It's not something that can be taken for granted.

[Adrienne Ma]

For years, Steve has helped run a non profit called ablegamers. On top of providing information and resources to gamers with disabilities, they also lobby game companies to add accessibility features to their games.

[Waylon Wong]

But he says making games accessible isn't just about the games themselves. A person who is quadriplegic, for instance, may not be able to even hold a controller. That's why his organization also focuses a lot on providing individual consultations to people who want to play video games but aren't sure how or don't have the assistive technology to do so.

[Steve Spahn]

One of the things that runs through everything that I stand for and that we do is you really want to meet people where they are. They have certain abilities, they have certain things that they can do, and you got to bring the technology and the gaming to them rather than making them come to you.

[Adrienne Ma]

And Steve says that's something game companies should think about too. This episode was produced by Corey Bridges with engineering by Robert Rodriguez. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez and Cake and Cannon edits the show and the indicators of production of npr.

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