Many developers don't necessarily put resources into building accessibility features because they don't immediately realize a disabled person might have difficulty playing their game. Another concern facing studios and publishers is whether these features might add to a project's budget. However, more accessible games open up the market to millions, including people still learning how to play games, so helping people may actually help development studios' bottom line, too.
Alternative button mapping, mouse sensitivity adjustment and even direct responses from developers are becoming more common in PC games. The Accessibility SIG cited Half-Life 2 and Doom 3 as games that included accessibility features throughout their development or whose studios released code to and assisted the modding community to create these options. With what's available for PC, it's obvious that the technology exists to make some of these additions standard in console games, but by and large they just aren't there.
Console developers do consider feedback when it comes to accessibility features they may not have previously imagined. Earlier this year, Infinity Ward responded to a request to implement a special weapon toggle that would enable paralyzed professional gamer Randy Fitzgerald, who plays his Xbox 360 through the use of an adapted controller, to play Call of Duty 4 unhindered.
(Adapted controllers are the answer for some with mobility problems. They make it possible to play games one-handed, with fewer buttons, to control movement with puffs of air, or even to arrange controls to favor one side when the other limb is gone or otherwise unusable. Inventor Benjamin Heckendorn's "Access Controller" might help those who require one-handed play on current consoles. The first will be for the PS2 and PS3 with an Xbox 360 version to follow.)
As far as accessibility on the consoles goes, the Wii's remote stands out. When information on the control scheme for the system was released, I wondered if it might finally mark my mom's return to console gaming. It turns out Mom really enjoys Wii Bowling. The controller design worked really well for her, since she didn't have to manipulate a lot of individual buttons.
As for individual games that work for her, Mom has me to help with recommendations. Family and friends can certainly help, but the industry still lacks a solid system for disabled gamers to make informed decisions independently. Perhaps manufacturers will mandate certain standards, or the IGDA's proposal for an accessibility labeling system will come to pass. Right now, there's only experience and incomplete web resources to go by. System selection is sometimes difficult for players with disabilities, but at least for my mother, who has really missed playing console games, she finally has some options.
Christina González is a writer in New York. She narrowly beat her mother's bowling score and may be found at http://www.christinagonzalez.net.
