ESA Announces Accessible Games Initiative to Provide Product Accessibility Feature Information

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has launched the Accessible Games Initiative, a groundbreaking "tag" system designed to enhance video game accessibility for consumers. This initiative was unveiled at the Game Developers Conference, spearheaded by a coalition including Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, and Ubisoft. The initiative has since expanded to include Amazon, Riot Games, Square Enix, and WB Games, with the ESA overseeing its management.

Under this initiative, participating companies will use a set of 24 standardized tags to highlight accessibility features on digital storefronts and product pages. These tags cover a wide range of accessibility options, from "clear text" and "large and clear subtitles" to "narrated menus" and "stick inversion," helping players identify games that meet their specific needs.

Stanley Pierre-Louis, ESA president and CEO, emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating, "Tens of millions of Americans have a disability and often face barriers to experiencing the joy and connection that comes with playing video games. We are immensely proud to announce the Accessible Games Initiative in partnership with industry leaders. This initiative demonstrates how impactful we can be when we work together in our industry-wide pursuit of helping more people experience the power of play."

The rollout of these tags will be gradual, implemented on a company-by-company basis, and initially available only in English. Over time, the initiative may evolve with additional or modified tags to further improve accessibility.

Auditory Features

Tag: Multiple Volume Controls
Description: Separate volume controls are available for different types of sounds, including music, speech, sound effects, background audio, text-to-speech audio, accessibility audio cues, and voice chat. Additionally, all game sounds can be adjusted with a single volume control.

Tag: Mono Sound
Description: Enables gameplay with mono audio, sending the same audio to all channels for a combined audio experience.

Tag: Stereo Sound
Description: Facilitates gameplay with stereo audio, where sounds indicate left or right positioning but not vertical or depth positioning.

Tag: Surround Sound
Description: Supports gameplay with surround sound, allowing sounds to be positioned in any direction.

Tag: Narrated Menus
Description: Allows use of screen readers or voice narration for menus and notifications, enabling control and announcement of interactions through narration.

Tag: Chat Speech-to-Text & Text-to-Speech
Description: Provides text-to-speech and speech-to-text functionality for game chats, allowing real-time narration of text chats and transcription of voice chats.
This tag encompasses both auditory and visual features.

Gameplay Features

Tag: Difficulty Levels
Description: Offers multiple difficulty options, including at least one that reduces the intensity of challenges, with clear descriptions of differences between levels.

Tag: Save Anytime
Description: Enables manual saving at any time, with exceptions during game saving/loading or when it could cause game-breaking scenarios.

Input Features

Tag: Basic Input Remapping
Description: Allows remapping of button controls through swapping or other methods. The "Full Input Remapping" tag extends this to all game controls across various input methods.

Tag: Full Input Remapping
Description: Permits full remapping of all game controls across supported input methods like keyboards, mice, controllers, and virtual on-screen controls, including stick functionality swapping.

Tag: Stick Inversion
Description: Allows changing how direction inputs affect game movement in up/down and left/right directions.

Tag: Playable without Button Holds
Description: Enables gameplay without holding digital inputs, though some analog inputs may still require holds.

Tag: Playable without Rapid Button Presses
Description: Allows gameplay without repetitive button actions such as mashing or quick-time events.

Tag: Playable with Keyboard Only
Description: Supports gameplay using only a keyboard, without additional devices.

Tag: Playable with Mouse Only
Description: Supports gameplay using only a mouse, including adaptive tech that maps to mouse inputs.

Tag: Playable with Buttons Only
Description: Facilitates gameplay using only digital inputs like buttons or keys, where pressure does not affect control.

Tag: Playable with Touch Only
Description: Enables gameplay using only touch controls, without non-touch inputs.

Tag: Playable Without Motion Controls
Description: Allows gameplay without the use of motion controls.

Tag: Playable Without Touch Controls
Description: Supports gameplay without using touchpads or touchscreens.

Visual Features

Tag: Chat Speech-to-Text & Text-to-Speech
Description: Provides text-to-speech and speech-to-text functionality for game chats, allowing real-time narration of text chats and transcription of voice chats.
This tag encompasses both auditory and visual features.

Tag: Clear Text
Description: Ensures text in menus, control panels, and settings is of a reasonable size with adjustable contrast, using less stylized fonts.

Tag: Large Text
Description: Offers large font sizes for text in menus, control panels, and settings.

Tag: Large & Clear Subtitles
Description: Provides subtitles for all dialogue with adjustable size, background transparency, and non-overlapping placement, using less stylized fonts.

Tag: Color Alternatives
Description: Ensures important information is not solely communicated through color, using shape, pattern, icons, or text instead.

Tag: Camera Comfort
Description: Prevents or allows adjustment of camera effects that may cause discomfort, such as shaking, swaying, bobbing, motion blur, camera speed, and forced narrative-based movement.