Visually impaired gamers urge industry to improve accessibility

Gamers in a group for blind and partially sighted players have called for industry leaders to do more to make them feel included.

The group, founded through the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), was created to give individuals a space to connect over their shared passion for video games.

Belfast man Tiernán Devine, 21, who is blind, said he enjoys audio text-based games on his mobile phone, but would love more console games he can play.

Louise Meeke, who has cerebral palsy and is partially sighted, said the group has been a huge social boost for her and is a place where players can recommend accessible games to each other based on their level of vision.

Tiernán was born with no vision in his left eye and later lost vision in his right eye as a teenager.

"When I had a bit of sight in my right eye, I used to love playing games like Mario Kart on the handheld Nintendo DS.

"Now, with no vision, I enjoy playing audio games on mobile devices - games without visuals that rely solely on sound and text.

"I really enjoy fantasy games, games that have great stories and excellent audio with detailed descriptions - that's just me."

Tiernán got involved in the group through the RNIB and said they meet regularly to discuss what games they are playing.

Tiernán explained that developers of all video games conduct beta testing and would benefit from having people with disabilities involved in that process to help ensure the game is accessible to as many people as possible.

"Many people who are visually impaired use screen readers to explain what is on their computer or mobile phone screens, so I would love to see something like that included in most video games.

"For me, I love Star Wars, so I would love to play a game where I am in a dogfight in space with the Empire, and it would be great to be told how many Star Destroyers and TIE fighters are there.

"All you would need to do is add a voiceover - a voice describing what is happening - to a lot of these games; it wouldn't be too hard."

Louise, who is from County Down and enjoys playing PlayStation 5, said she enjoys a wide range of game genres, including platformers like Crash Bandicoot and the sandbox survival game Minecraft, but often has to adjust her TV settings to play many video games.

"I have to put the contrast way up on my TV sometimes to see the visuals better. I would love it if you could tell the game your level of vision and it could have presets to adjust the game for you," she said.

Joining the group was initially daunting, she admitted, but it quickly became a source of friendship and support, describing it as a "second family".

"I've even met someone who has the same condition as me, but it affects her on the opposite side of her body, so we say we are like twins," Louise said.

"That was really special," she added.

Louise said she would love more people with visual impairments to get involved in video games and be able to enjoy them.

An estimated three billion people worldwide regularly play video games, and the business is thought to be worth twice as much as film and music industries combined.

The UK's games industry employs an estimated 76,000 people and is thought to bring about £6bn a year to the UK economy.

In a statement, the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE), the trade body for the UK games industry, said: "The industry takes accessibility seriously and has invested millions in accessible design.

"While progress has been made, blind and partially-sighted players still face barriers, and there is more to learn and improve," they said.

UKIE said games are now being released with "meaningful consideration given to accessibility."

Titles such as Assassin's Creed Shadows, EA Sports FC 26, and DOOM: The Dark Ages have "raised expectations across the sector" by going above and beyond in accessible design, it said.

"With an estimated 250 million gamers worldwide identifying as visually impaired, accessibility is both a major commercial opportunity and an essential industry priority," UKIE said.

It added that the industry is working to ensure "everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the creative and social experiences that video games offer".