Accessibility
in Shooter Games

Role
UX Designer / Accessibility Champ
Design Problem
Understand how leading shooter games were approaching accessibility, identify patterns across strong examples, and use that research to help define a practical accessibility baseline.
Collaborated With
Xbox Accessibility Team
UX Ownership
Competitive Research → Feature Analysis → Baseline Definition → Accessibility Recommendations
Outcome
Studio-wide recommendations, first adopted as the accessibility plan for Halo Campaign Evolved, the first project to reach that stage. Development constraints limited how much of it shipped.
RESEARCH

Looking at Infinite

I gathered what feedback I could find from across the web where players commented on their experience with Halo Infinite’s accessibility features.
From that, I compiled the comments into categories where themes repeated and then distilled it down to the follow slides which I presented to our teams.

RESEARCH

Finding a Baseline

The actual research can be seen below in the research documentation after this section but this is the rest of the deck that I had put together
based on the conclusions that I drew after looking at the individual games. I had come up with a list of games to look at based on ‘best of’ lists
and articles on “Can I Play That”, which helped point me towards what features people found helpful.

PRESENTATION DECK

SHARING MY RECOMMENDATIONS

After looking at the feedback on Infinite’s accessibility features and then looking at what good accessibility experiences looked like in the shooter genre
I came up with our plan for accessibility at the studio for our games.

Document Research document.



[UX | Research] Accessibility in Shooter Genre
Research Status

COMPLETED

Overview

Doing research on accessibility in games of the Shooter Genre. 

Using the information from Can I Play That? - For Disabled Gamers, By Disabled Gamers to try and get a better understanding of what's out there. 

There's about 70 games in the list as of .

Narrowing it down based on which games show up in the " Top (Number)" Lists and other articles that pop up when searching for games & accessibility as a topic. 




Games that have "good" accessibility experiences

  • These are games that have shown up in articles about good accessibility experiences and are of the shooter genre. (These are not organized in any specific order) 
  • The features investigated for each game are based on the articles found across the internet and what is highlighted in the "Can I Play That?" articles (Can I Play That? - For Disabled Gamers, By Disabled Gamers) 
  • The features included in this document are considered examples of "good" experiences because:
    • Players who are self-identified members of the community who benefit from the accessibility features have written about their good experiences with the feature
    • These are not accessibility features where the players who are self-identified members of the community have expressed that the feature is present and works but rather that they exceed the baseline expectation of the feature existing and functioning.


Fortnite

VISUAL

Media

Notes

Screenshots from on PC (WINDOWS) Epic Launcher

Visualize Sound Effects

In Fortnite, players are able to turn on sound visualizations which assist in letting them know what is happening (footsteps, gunfire, etc) and what direction it's coming from.

Settings → Audio → Sound

  • Each sound seems to have an associated icon
  • The icon and associated visual effect appears on a circle around the player's avatar and the section of the circle where it appears indicates what direction the sound is coming from
  • The location of the icon updates as the sound moves (Example: Footsteps icon in one of the screenshots can be seen moving across the top of the circle) 


Additional information from: Deaf Game Review - Fortnite - Can I Play That?

"There’s visualization for every essential sound in the game too. There’s visualization for treasure chests, visualization for footsteps/running, visualization for gunfire. And it all tells you the approximate direction and distance too, along with icons and colors unique to each sound type. They make such a tremendous difference that I was able to come in 5th in two games where in PUBG I die nearly instantly every single time."


Screenshots from on PC (WINDOWS) Epic Launcher

Subtitles

Settings → Audio → Sound → Subtitle Options

Players have access to the follow settings and options for subtitles:

  • Subtitles
    • On
    • Off (by default)
  • Text Size
    • Extra Small
    • Small
    • Medium (Default)
    • Large
    • Extra Large
  • Text Color
    • White (Default)
    • Yellow
  • Text Border
    • None (Default)
    • Outline
    • Drop Shadow
  • Background Opacity
    • Clear
    • Low
    • Medium (Default)
    • High 
    • Solid


There wasn't any obvious change between the text border options so I didn't capture a screenshot of those.


Additional information from: Deaf Game Review - Fortnite - Can I Play That?

"But let’s talk about those gorgeous subtitles in Save the World! They’re just perfect!

The image above shows the subtitles at their largest size, with a drop shadow for contrast, and the background at half opacity. While there are no speaker labels in the subtitles, there’s also an image in the top corner of who is speaking.

You can select from white or yellow for text color, there are five options for background opacity, five size options, and three text border options. You can pretty much customize your subtitles to your heart’s content so you never miss a single bit of dialogue."

Screenshots from on PC (WINDOWS) Epic Launcher

Default HUD scale (77%)



25% (Smallest)


50%


100%


125% (Largest)


88% (Personal Preference)

HUD Scaling

Settings → Game UI → HUD Options

  • Players are able to scale the HUD up in size or down in size
  • These settings are available during gameplay
  • Players can scale the HUD to any number between 25% (smallest) and 125% (largest) 
  • The default / recommended setting is to have it at 77% 


From "Can I Play That?" website's Fortnite Accessibility Review: Fortnite Accessibility Review — Can I Play That

  • HUD Scaling us called out as one of the positive accessibility features in Fortnite


INPUT

Media

Notes

Screenshots from on PC (WINDOWS) Epic Launcher

Keyboard & Controller Remapping

Settings → Keyboard Controls and Settings → Controller Mapping

  • Players are able to choose between preset for Keyboard Controls
    • Standard (Default)
    • Old School: Original controls for Fortnite
  • Players are able to choose between presets for Controller Remapping
    • Builder Pro: (Default) A present that focuses on building. This is the recommended default for Fortnite. 
    • Old School: Original controls for Fortnite.
    • Quick Builder: A preset that focuses on quick building
    • Combat Pro: a preset that focuses on combat 
  • Players are also able to select custom keybinds for Keyboard
    • Movement
      • Move Forward
      • Move Left
      • Move Backward
      • Move Right
      • Jump
      • Sprint
      • Auto Run
      • Crouch (Tap) / Slide (Hold)
      • Force Walk (Toggle)
      • Force Walk (Hold)
    • Combat
      • Fire
      • Target
      • Toggle Scope Mode
      • Reload
      • Use
      • Harvesting Tool
      • Weapon Slot 1
      • Weapon Slot 2
      • Weapon Slot 3
      • Weapon Slot 4
      • Weapon Slot 5
    • Building  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Emote  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Misc (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Falcon Scout  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Augments Input  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Riding  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Vehicles - Loot Shark (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Vehicles - Shopping Cart (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Vehicles - Pirate Cannon  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Vehicles - All Terrain Kart (ATK)  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Vehicles - Quadcrasher  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Vehicles - Baller  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Vehicles - X-4 Stormwing  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Vehicles - B. R. U. T. E.  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Vehicles - Motorboat  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Vehicles - Choppa  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Vehicles - Cars  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Vehicles - Sport Bike  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Vehicles - Dirt Bike  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Vehicles - UFO  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Vehicles - Tank  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Vehicles - Octane  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Creative  (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • LTM Abilities (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
  • Players can also remap controller actions
    • General
      • Jump
      • Crouch (Tap) / Slide (Hold) / Repair (Hold)
      • Sprint / Auto-run (Double-click)
      • Fire
      • Target
      • Reload / Use (Hold)
      • Next Weapon
      • Previous Weapon
      • Toggle Harvest Tool or Carry
      • Requests (Hold) / Augment Select (Tap)
      • Place Marker / Squad Coms (hold)
    • Building (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Edit (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Emote (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Misc (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Riding (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • LTM Abilities (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)


From "Can I Play That?" website's Fortnite Accessibility Review: Fortnite Accessibility Review — Can I Play That

  • Remapping for controller and keyboard is called out as one of the positive accessibility features in Fortnite

"The controls can be fully remapped. Controllers can have every button changed from a nicely presented remapping screen, and the same can be done for the keyboard, and there are presets available. Fortnite also has a good deal of accessibility features in the form of enabling toggle and holds for some things such as auto opening doors, auto-sprinting, holding and toggle for swapping, and a few others."





Gears 5

VISUAL

Media

Notes

Screenshots from on XBOX


Screenshots from from Deaf Game Review - Gears of War 5 - Can I Play That?: 

Content of Subtitles

Players have the option to turn on subtitles and to change the subtitle text, however that is not why this feature was called out as an example of a good accessibility experience. The focus here is on what is included in the content of the subtitles. 


From "Can I Play That?" article: Deaf Game Review - Gears of War 5 - Can I Play That?

"They tell you from where you’re being spoken to, like above, Kait is not who knows where speaking to you, she’s on the radio. And there’s nice use of ellipses to indicate pauses in speech.

They describe what the speaker sounds like when they’re speaking to you!

They even tell you exactly what non-speaking sounds the characters make.

But best of all is something that SO many games overlook:

You know how most games pair music with fighting scenes and the end of the music is how hearing players tell that scene is over and they’ve killed everything that needs killing? It’s never ever depicted to Deaf/hoh players. UNTIL NOW!" 


Screenshots from from Deaf Game Review - Gears of War 5 - Can I Play That?: 

Sound Visualization

From "Can I Play That?" article: Deaf Game Review - Gears of War 5 - Can I Play That?

"It’s also made very clear from where you’re taking damage (that bloody outline of the gear shown at the top center of the screen) that indicates directionality and the intensity of said damage. Also made abundantly clear is where gunfire is coming at you from. Those two yellow lines show you precisely where enemies are shooting at you from."


INPUT

Media

Notes

Screenshots from on PC (WINDOWS) STEAM

Keyboard & Controller Remapping

  • Players are able to remap their controller
    • Left Stick
    • Right Stick
    • A Button
    • B Button
    • X Button
    • Y Button
    • Left Bumper
    • Right Bumper
    • Left Trigger
    • D-PAD Up
    • D-PAD Down
    • D-PAD Right
    • D-PAD Left
  • Players are able to set custom key bindings
    • Movement
      • Forward
      • Backward
      • Left
      • Right
      • Roadie Run
      • Evade
      • Take Cover / Mantle
      • Crouch
      • Walk
    • Combat
      • Shoot
      • Aim
      • Zoom
      • Zoom in
      • Zoom out
      • Reload
      • Rev Chainsaw
      • Melee / Vault
      • Pick up Weapon / Revive
      • Upgrade Fortification
      • Mark Target
      • Weapon Slot 1
      • Weapon Slot 2
      • Pistol
      • Grenades
      • Next Weapon
      • Previous Weapon
      • Tac-Com
      • Ultimate Ability
      • Jack Ability
      • Arcade Redeem
      • Rotate Forification Left
      • Rotate Fortification Right
      • Point of Interest
      • Grab
    • Jack (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Multiplayer (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Expressions (Tied to Combat Weapon Bindings) (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)
    • Spectator (only category is listed here, full list of available keybinds not included in this document)


From "Can I Play That?" article: Mobility Review - Gears of War 5 - Can I Play That?

"In relation to customizing control options, Gears 5 is relatively accessible for physically impaired players. The option to fully customize controls, except for the previously mentioned ‘Enter’ key is a welcome sight. Gears 5 even warns players of conflicting keys, removing previously bound options at the player’s request. Furthermore, if a key is unnecessary, players need not find a way to bind it to their keyboard. The game even extends these options to standard controllers, as well as the Xbox Adaptive Controller, ensuring that each play style is properly represented. Throughout the campaign, I regularly changed control options to fit my current scenario."




Far Cry 6

GENERAL

Media

Notes

Screenshots from on PC (WINDOWS) Epic Launcher

Accessibility Presets

Within the Accessibility menu in Far Cry 6, players have access to a collection of options separated by categories. They are able to turn each one on or off as a set or adjust the options within each category individually. 


From "Can I Play That?" article: Far Cry 6 accessibility review - Can I Play That?

"Far Cry 6 is the most accessible title in the franchise yet. It not only makes a strong case for Ubisoft’s most accessible game to date, but also the strongest argument I’ve ever seen for the most accessible FPS I’ve ever played. "

Screenshots from on PC (WINDOWS) Epic Launcher

Vision Preset

Players are able to toggle the Vision Preset on or off as a whole category, or they are able to make selections on individual options. Players are also able to preview the changes within the accessibility menu before they are applied. 

  • Vision Preset
    • Off (Default)
    • On (turns on the rest of the options within the Vision category)
    • Custom (appears when the player adjusts individual settings, can not be selected)
  • Menu Narration
    • Off
    • Speaker 1 (Female voice) (Default when Vision Preset is On)
    • Speaker 2 (Male voice)
  • Menu Narration Speed
    • Slow
    • Normal (Default when Vision Preset is On)
    • Fast
  • Menu Narration Volume (sliding scale)
    • 80 (Default when Vision Preset is On)
  • UI and Fonts Scaling
    • Normal
    • Increased (Default when Vision Preset is On)
  • Enemy Outline
    • On (Default when Vision Preset is On)
    • Off
  • Enemy Outline Color
    • Opens Color Selector (Orange by default)
  • Pickup Outline
    • On (Default when Vision Preset is On)
    • Off
  • Pickup Outline Color
    • Opens Color Selector (White by default)
  • Subtitles
    • On (Default when Vision Preset is On)
    • Off
  • Subtitles Size
    • Small
    • Medium
    • Large (Default when Vision Preset is On)
  • Names in Subtitles
    • Multiple Colors (Default when Vision Preset is On)
    • Off
    • One Color 
  • Subtitles Background Visibility
    • Off
    • Semitransparent
    • Black (Default when Vision Preset is On)
  • Reticle Thickness
    • Normal
    • Bold (Default when Vision Preset is On)
  • Reticle Sway 
    • On
    • Off (Default when Vision Preset is On)
  • Aiming Assists 
    • On (Default when Vision Preset is On)
    • Off
  • Lock-on Aim
    • On (Default when Vision Preset is On)
  • Lock on Duration (sliding scale)
    • 10 (Default when Vision Preset is On)
  • Camera Shakes
    • Minimal (Default when Vision Preset is On)
    • Full
  • Poisoned and Drunk Effects
    • Off (Default when Vision Preset is On)
    • On

Screenshots from on PC (WINDOWS) Epic Launcher

Hearing Preset

Players are able to toggle the Hearing Preset on or off as a whole category, or they are able to make selections on individual options. 

  • Hearing Preset
    • Off (Default)
    • On
    • Custom (appears when the player adjusts individual settings, can not be selected)
  • Master Volume (sliding scale)
    • 100 (Default when Hearing Preset is On)
  • Radio Music Volume (sliding scale) 
    • 60 (Default when Hearing Preset is On)
  • Dialog Volume (sliding scale)
    • 100 (Default when Hearing Preset is On)
  • Score Music Volume (sliding scale)
    • 60 (Default when Hearing Preset is On)
  • Sound Effects Volume (sliding scale)
    • 60 (Default when Hearing Preset is On)
  • Subtitles 
    • On (Default when Hearing Preset is On)
    • Off
  • Subtitles Size 
    • Small
    • Medium (Default when Hearing Preset is On)
    • Large
  • Names in Subtitles 
    • Off
    • One Color
    • Multiple Colors (Default when Hearing Preset is On)
  • Subtitles Background Visibility 
    • Off
    • Semitransparent (Default when Hearing Preset is On)
    • Black
  • Sound Subtitles 
    • On (Default when Hearing Preset is On)
    • Off
  • Speech-To-Text
    • On (Default when Hearing Preset is On)
    • Off
  • Chat Wheel
    • On (Default when Hearing Preset is On)
    • Off

Screenshots from on PC (WINDOWS) Epic Launcher

Motor Preset

Players are able to toggle the Motor Preset on or off as a whole category, or they are able to make selections on individual options. 

  • Unlock Mouse Cursor 
    • Off (Default when Motor Preset is On)
    • On (Default when Motor Preset is On)
  • Motor Preset
    • On (Default when Motor Preset is On)
    • Off
    • Custom (appears when the player adjusts individual settings, can not be selected)
  • Reticle Sway 
    • Off (Default when Motor Preset is On)
    • On
  • Repeated Presses 
    • Off (Default when Motor Preset is On)
    • On
  • Camera Shakes
    • Minimal (Default when Motor Preset is On)
    • Full
  • Keyboard & Mouse
    • Aim Type
      • Toggle (Default when Motor Preset is On)
      • Hold
    • Weapon Interaction Wheel
      • Toggle (Default when Motor Preset is On)
      • Hold
    • Driving & Shooting Aim Assist 
      • On (Default when Motor Preset is On)
      • Off
  • Controller
    • Vibration (sliding scale) 
      • 0 (Default when Motor Preset is On)
    • Aiming Assists
      • On (Default when Motor Preset is On)
      • Off
    • Lock-on-Aim
      • On (Default when Motor Preset is On)
      • Off
    • Lock on Duration (sliding scale)
      • 5 (Default when Motor Preset is On)
    • Driving & Shooting Aim Assist
      • On (Default when Motor Preset is On)
      • Off
    • Convert Holds to Presses
      • On (Default when Motor Preset is On)
      • Off
    • Aim Type 
      • Toggle (Default when Motor Preset is On)
      • Hold
    • Crouch Type
      • Toggle (Default when Motor Preset is On)
      • Hold
    • Sprint Type 
      • Stick Incline (Default when Motor Preset is On)
      • Classic
    • Weapon Wheel Interaction
      • Toggle (Default when Motor Preset is On)
      • Hold
    • No Stick Presses Mode
      • On (Default when Motor Preset is On)
      • Off
    • Trigger Effect Intensity (sliding scale)
      • 0 (Default when Motor Preset is On)



Screenshots from on PC (WINDOWS) Epic Launcher

Cognitive Preset

Players are able to toggle the Cognitive Preset on or off as a whole category, or they are able to make selections on individual options. 

  • Cognitive Preset
    • On
    • Off
    • Custom (appears when the player adjusts individual settings, can not be selected)
  • Reticle Sway
    • Off (Default when Cognitive Preset is On)
    • On
  • Repeated Presses
    • Off (Default when Cognitive Preset is On)
    • On
  • Camera Shakes
    • Minimal (Default when Cognitive Preset is On)
    • Full
  • Subtitles 
    • On (Default when Cognitive Preset is On)
    • Off
  • Subtitles Size
    • Small
    • Medium (Default when Cognitive Preset is On)
    • Large
  • Names in Subtitles 
    • Off
    • One Color (Default when Cognitive Preset is On)
    • Multiple Colors 
  • Subtitles Background Visibility
    • Clear
    • Semitransparent 
    • Black (Default when Cognitive Preset is On)
  • Keyboard & Mouse
    • Driving & Shooting Aim Assist
      • On (Default when Cognitive Preset is On)
      • Off 
  • Controller
    • Vibration (sliding scale)
      • 25 (Default when Cognitive Preset is On)
    • Aiming Assists 
      • On (Default when Cognitive Preset is On)
      • Off
    • Driving & Shooting Aim Assist
      • On (Default when Cognitive Preset is On)
      • Off
    • Sprint Type
      • Stick Incline (Default when Cognitive Preset is On)
      • Classic
    • UI and Fonts Scaling
      • Increased (Default when Cognitive Preset is On)
      • Normal
    • Enemy Outline
      • On (Default when Cognitive Preset is On)
      • Off 
    • Enemy Outline Color
      • Orange (Default when Cognitive Preset is On)
      • Opens color selector
    • Pickup Outline 
      • On (Default when Cognitive Preset is On)
      • Off
    • Pickup Outline Color
      • White (Default when Cognitive Preset is On)
      • Opens color selector
    • Audio Dynamic Range
      • Night (Default when Cognitive Preset is On)
      • Full
      • Medium



Screenshots from on PC (WINDOWS) Epic Launcher

Motion Preset

Players are able to toggle the Motion Preset on or off as a whole category, or they are able to make selections on individual options. 

  • Motion Preset
    • On
    • Off
    • Custom (appears when the player adjusts individual settings, can not be selected)
  • Reticle Sway 
    • Off (Default when Motion Preset is On)
    • On
  • Camera Shakes
    • Minimal (Default when Motion Preset is On)
    • Full
  • Poisoned and Drunk Effects 
    • Off (Default when Motion Preset is On)
    • On
  • Motion Blur
    • Off (Default when Motion Preset is On)
    • On
  • Vibration (sliding scale)
    • 25 (Default when Motion Preset is On)



Screenshots from on PC (WINDOWS) Epic Lauchner

Main Colors

Preset Off

Preset On


Preset OffPreset On

Red Color Group

Blue Color Group

Yellow Color Group


Gameplay Colors

Preset Off

Preset On


Preset OffPreset On

Enemy Laser Color

Reticle Color on Enemy

Reticle Color While Aiming

PG-240X Hot Color

PG-240X Neutral Color

PG-240X Cold Color


Subtitle Colors, Outline Colors, Map Colors

Preset Off

Preset On


Preset OffPreset On

Player Name Color

Friendly Names Color

Enemy Names Color

Enemy Outline Color

Pickup Outline Color

Roads - Map Color

GPS Path - Map Color

Colors Preset

Players are able to toggle the Colors Preset on or off as a whole category, or they are able to make selections on individual options. 

All options open a color selector for the player to choose a new color from a group of pre-selected colors.

  • Reticle Color
    • White (Default when Colors Preset is On)
  • Colorblind Mode
    • On
    • Off
    • Custom
  • Main Colors
    • Red Color Group
      • Yellow (Default when Colors Preset is On)
    • Blue Color Group
      • Blue (Default when Colors Preset is On)
    • Yellow Color Group
      • Light Blue (Default when Colors Preset is On)
  • Gameplay Colors
    • Enemy Laser Color
      • Yellow (Default when Colors Preset is On)
    • Reticle Color on Enemy 
      • Yellow (Default when Colors Preset is On)
    • Reticle Color While Aiming
      • Yellow (Default when Colors Preset is On)
    • PG-240X Hot Color
      • Yellow (Default when Colors Preset is On)
    • PC-240X Neutral Color
      • White (Default when Colors Preset is On)
    • PG-240X Cold Color
      • Cyan (Default when Colors Preset is On)
  • Subtitle Colors
    • Player Name Color
      • Orange (Default when Colors Preset is On)
    • Friendly Names Color
      • Blue (Default when Colors Preset is On)
    • Enemy Names Color
      • Yellow (Default when Colors Preset is On)
  • Outline Colors
    • Enemy Outline Color
      • Orange (Default when Colors Preset is On)
    • Pickup Outline Color
      • White (Default when Colors Preset is On)
  • Map Colors
    • Roads - Map Color
      • Blue (Default when Colors Preset is On)
    • GPS Path - Map Color
      • Blue (Default when Colors Preset is On)


From an article in 2021: 13 Recent Games That Are Pushing Accessibility Features Forward (thegamer.com)

"Colorblind fans can rejoice because Far Cry 6 has a customizable Colorblind Mode that can be accessed from the "Pre-sets Menu." With an adjustable HUD, Menu Narration, and Aim Assist features to boot, Far Cry 6 gives us hope that a bright future of vast accessibility settings is soon on the horizon, both in indie games and Triple-A titles alike."



Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

VISUAL

Media

Notes

Content of Captions

From "Can I Play That?" article: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Accessibility Review — Can I Play That?

"This is the first game in recent years to call something “captions” and have that thing actually be proper captions. In most games, the “captions” usually only consist of player or crew noises or what Ubisoft has done with their “sound subtitles” in providing text indicating important world sounds. Captions in GotG are captions like one would find watching TV. They provide context for the story, characters, and world.

In the above image, without the caption text, there would be no context for Star-Lord and Rocket’s reactions. Sure, it may be mirrored in controller vibration but that doesn’t provide context for what’s happening, it just tells players that something is happening. The captions of Guardians of the Galaxy FINALLY give deaf/hoh players equal immersion to that of hearing players, something other games just flat out fail at even with controller vibration or controller haptics."


From Polygon article: The 2021 video games that pushed accessibility farther - Polygon

"Guardians of the Galaxy is also the first modern game to feature closed captions matching the quality of those found in movies and TV shows. Players who are deaf or hard of hearing can be more immersed in the game world with “overheard subtitles,” resizable subtitles, and closed captions. The game also features cognitive accessibility options, such as the sound focus mode, which lessens all nonessential sounds. It also allows players to extend the objective-reminder timer and keep the objective visible for longer. Guardians of the Galaxy set a new bar in the industry for deaf and hard of hearing accessibility and showed what’s possible with inclusive design ideas applied to video games."



Screenshots from on PC (WINDOWS) Epic Launcher

Subtitles

Players are able to choose options to customize the Subtitles a bit.

  • Show character name
    • Always (Default)
    • Off
    • Once Per Line
  • Subtitle Size 
    • Very Small
    • Small
    • Medium (Default)
    • Large
    • Very Large
  • Letter spacing (sliding scale 0 to 5) 
    • 0 (Default)
  • Force Bold
    • Off (Default)
    • On
  • Enable Background
    • Off (Default)
    • On
  • Invert Background Color
    • Off (Default - black background with white text)
    • On (white background with black text)
  • Background Opacity (sliding scale 0 to 100)
    • 100 (Default) 


GAMEPLAY

Media

Notes

Screenshots from on PC (WINDOWS) Epic Launcher

Difficulty Settings

As a first time user when players begin a new game, they are able to choose which difficulty they want to experience the gameplay with. 

If players need to adjust the difficulty after they begin a game, they are able to do so through the Pause → Difficulty → Difficulty Settings Menu


  • Current Difficulty Level
    • Easy
    • Normal
    • Hard
    • Custom (appears when the player has adjusted individual settings and can not be selected outside of the first time user flow)
  • Guardians Mode Slowdown (sliding scale from 0 to 1)
    • 0.9 (Default for Easy)
    • 0.7 (Default for Normal)
    • 0.5 (Default for Hard) 
  • Damage Dealt
    • Very High
    • High (Default for Easy)
    • Medium (Default for Normal)
    • Low (Default for Hard)
    • Very Low
  • Guardians Cooldown Duration (sliding scale from 1 to 2)
    • 1.0 (Default for Easy)
    • 1.1 (Default for Normal)
    • 1.3 (Default for Hard)
  • Huddle Auto-Win
    • Disabled (Default for Easy, Medium & Hard)
    • On - (If this setting is turned ON, you will not be presented with a choice wheel during the Huddle sequences and the correct answer will automatically be selected) 
  • Cost of Elemental Shots (sliding scale from 0.5 to 2)
    • 0.8 (Default for Easy)
    • 1.0 (Default for Normal)
    • 1.2 (Default for Hard)
  • Damage Received
    • Very Low
    • Low (Default for Easy)
    • Medium (Default for Normal)
    • High (Default for Hard)
    • Very High
  • Shield Regeneration
    • Very High
    • High (Default for Easy)
    • Medium (Default for Normal)
    • Low (Default for Hard)
    • Very Low
  • Death Event Timer
    • Easy (Default for Easy)
    • Medium (Default for Normal)
    • Hard (Default for Hard)
    • Hardcore
  • Vulnerability Timer (sliding scale from 5 to 15)
    • 5.0 (Default for Easy, Medium & Hard)
  • Death Gate
    • Easy (Default for Easy)
    • Medium (Default for Normal)
    • Hard (Default for Hard)
    • Very Hard
  • Objects Outline
    • On (Default for Easy. Medium & Hard)
    • Off
  • Compass System
    • On (Default for Easy, Medium & Hard)
    • Off
  • Hints System
    • Instant (Default for Easy) 
    • Medium (Default for Normal)
    • Slow (Default for Hard)
    • None


From "Can I Play That?" article: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Accessibility Review — Can I Play That?

"The difficulty in GotG is even more customizable than the captions, and I find it rather refreshing to be able to tailor precisely the experience I want—I deal high damage, take very low damage, have regular shield regeneration time, and I always win QTEs because I’m bad at them. Players looking for a particularly brutal experience can deal low damage, take very high damage, and have slow shield regen time. It’s all about how you want to experience the game. I can’t even hear the anime avatars crying about artistic vision over all the 80s rock-enhanced fun I’m having!"


From "Can I Play That?" article: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Accessibility — Menu Deep Dive (caniplaythat.com)

"For difficulty, there’s a great number of options available to adjust the game to your playstyle. This includes having a preset difficulty or customizing it. You’ll be able to adjust the slowdown amount when in Guardians Mode, assign how much damage is dealt or received, the cooldown duration, the cost of elemental shots, and even how your shield regenerates. A Huddle auto-win is available to enable, and a slider for vulnerability timer.

You can also change the death gate difficulty, have interactive objects shown with an outline, enable a compass system, and enable hints."




Watch Dogs: Legion

VISUAL

Media

Notes

Content of Captions / Subtitles

From "Can I Play That?" article: Watch Dogs Legion Preview — Deaf/HoH Accessibility Impressions (caniplaythat.com)

"Let’s touch more on the audio. There’s a lot going on. Of course, I didn’t realize exactly how much was going on on account of being Deaf, but also the demo stream being somewhat quieter than I’d have liked. So while general sounds, such as protagonist dialogue, and the sound of a scooter crashing into a car, sending your granny flying were nice and crisp, the general surroundings felt buried under audio layers. And there’s a lot of surrounding noise.

There’s people having conversations, people shouting at one another, someone yelled “fool, fool, fart!” at another, there’s the sound of cars honking their horns, there are birds tweeting. There are police barking orders at others, there are very frequent announcements being played, there are crashes taking place, protesters chanting. The world is living, and it is breathing, and it feels very well done at the cost of feeling audibly messy.

Thankfully, Ubisoft has thrown in world captioning which takes the form of subtitles, placed in the lower areas of the screen, and aligned to the right-hand side to illustrate sounds going on around you. So you’ll have car horns being captioned, or some random beeping, maybe gunshots, or a crash. I really liked the implementation of these, and they allowed me to understand the deeper world-building going on around me. My only complaint was that they felt somewhat confusing when multiple appeared at once.

Sticking with captions, there are subtitles available that capture just the dialogue of your key characters which is presented nice and clearly — I’ll go into customization shortly. There’s also the option to enable full-captions which gives you additional subtitles displaying dialogue that isn’t entirely that important but still allows you to understand what’s being said around you. Throw this all together and you’ve got subtitles for your character, subtitles for NPCs, and world-sounds captioned, all at once. It may look a bit messy, but I really liked it."


Screenshots from on PC (WINDOWS) Epic Launcher


Subtitles & Captions

Players can adjust options for Subtitles & Captions within Options → Audo and Language.

Number of supported individual options is good but the inability to preview the changes in the menu is not great. 


  • Subtitles Mode
    • Dialogue (Default - only displays subtitles for voice lines in the script)
    • Full Captions (Displays subtitles for all spoken dialogue)
    • Off 
  • Gameplay Events CC (Number options determine the number of captions displayed at a time) 
    • Off (Default)
    • 4
    • 2
  • Subtitles in Menus
    • On (Default)
    • Off
  • Subtitles Font BG
    • Translucent (Default)
    • Black 
    • Off
  • Subtitles Font Size (sliding scale 100 to 150%)
    • 100% (Default)
  • Subtitles Width
    • Normal (Default)
    • Short
  • Subtitles Colour
    • White (Default)
    • Red
    • Yellow
    • Green
    • Blue
    • Cyan
  • Subtitles Speaker
    • On (Default) 
    • Off





Change Log


ID

Date

Author

Description

2

 

@bradleygrey 
Research was completed
1

 

@bradleygrey 
Started this research document.