Tunnel vision

Robert Kingett, legally-blind video game reviewer with cerebral palsy via IGN:

In multiplayer games I will always be at a slight disadvantage because I can’t look at multiple parts of the screen at once because of my tunnel vision. It’s like looking through a toilet paper roll all the time. My cerebral palsy hinders me as well but not in games like MAGIC, or similar because that’s strategy. I do have a stutter and people who want to be gamers are quick to point out I sound “retarded” or “like I am disabled.” It saddens me to see that there are not many true gamers anymore who just enjoy gaming no matter how unskilled someone is. I actually know some mentally disabled people who play better than most, and when I say play, I mean their spirit.

I’ve experienced a lot of that, and I just don’t understand why people say some of the things that they say. It’s not going to create an elite gaming world full of epic gamers who know every Easter egg known to man. Gamers will game, no matter who says what. I’m a gamer and I will game on. I enjoy the art and everything else video games have to offer and that means enjoying it with all kinds of people. There are even cases of people being flat out derogatory to other races on video games. Again, I don’t understand why. I don’t want people like that ruining it for us gamers.

Kingett on what developers can do to make their games more accessible:

There are three words I’d say that makes a video game completely accessible. Customization, choices, and alternatives. Have a game very customizable in all assets and you will have an accessible game. Have caption customizations where deaf players can have captions in a font that they want to have. Make your HUD’s customizable so visually impaired players like me can change the map size, the radar size, the crosshair size and shape, have assist, control mapping options, different control styles - just make your game very customizable unlike anything anyone has ever seen before.

A must read.