Xbox highlights International Day of Persons with Disabilities by furthering its commitment to video game accessibility

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What you need to know

  • The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is observed annually on December 3, with this year’s theme focusing on amplifying leadership of persons with disabilities.
  • Xbox has announced ahead of IDPD that the gaming company is furthering its commitments to the disabled gaming community.
  • Xbox principal firmware engineer Stan Adermann shared a statement on their own lived experience with disability and how that catalyzed the development of new controller remapping features.
  • The team also highlighted recent accessibility announcements in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Diablo IV, plus a fundraiser to benefit CureDuchenne via World of Warcraft.

As a passionate advocate for inclusivity and accessibility in gaming, I find myself deeply moved by the inspiring journey of those who have dedicated their efforts to making games more accessible for everyone. The story of Mats “Ibelin” Steen, a Norwegian World of Warcraft player living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, is a poignant reminder of the transformative power of gaming and technology when used with empathy and determination.

Over the past few years, the gaming industry has seen a significant expansion focusing on accessibility. As game creators and hardware producers grow more mindful of the needs of disabled gamers within their userbase, innovative solutions to address the challenges these individuals encounter have become increasingly common.

On the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Xbox has unveiled enhancements to its button-mapping feature and spotlighted recent strides in game accessibility.

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Furthermore, Xbox introduces a World of Warcraft cosmetic item that supports CureDechenne, an organization dedicated to pioneering research and enhancing care for people affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

In terms of recent advancements in accessibility, the Xbox team has unveiled new features for custom button layouts on the Xbox Adaptive Controller and Elite Series 2. This remapping functionality empowers players to reassign the primary function of a specific control on their device – whether it’s a gamepad, mouse, or keyboard. By doing so, they can tailor their gaming experience to suit their unique needs, overcoming challenges such as missing fingers or limbs and reducing joint strain.

Adermann mentioned that he has a mild Essential Tremor and hand pain from years of software development. He found that certain PC games exacerbated his pain, so he investigated ways to enhance the ease of use of controllers for players with similar issues or those seeking more customizable gaming experiences. Initially, mapping mouse movements to controllers and adding toggle holds helped. Additionally, assigning joystick movements to buttons or keyboard keys was essential.

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Users will discover various re-mapping possibilities within the Xbox Accessories application, applicable to the Elite Series 2 controller and the Xbox Adaptive Controller.

  • Toggle holds: Players who struggle to hold long button presses can opt toggle any button or port on the Xbox Adaptive Controller, Xbox Adaptive Joystick, or Series 2 Controller. This renders the button as “held” with just a single press until it is pressed again to release.
  • Map stick movement to button presses: Directional movement (up, down, left, right) on the Elite Series 2 thumb sticks or external joysticks can be mapped instead to button or keyboard presses.
  • Map mouse inputs to controller: Mouse and keyboard inputs can now be mapped to thumb stick and joystick movement, giving players more control to use their controllers like keyboard and mouse inputs. This can be helpful not just in gaming scenarios but for general PC usage, as well.
  • Map hat switch to alternate joystick: Some external joysticks feature hat switches, and those players can now map the hat switch to operate as the opposite stick when attached to the Xbox Adaptive controller.

In-game accessibility updates

Game developers are not only relying on systemwide accessibility options, but they’re also striving to incorporate unique and user-friendly solutions tailored to each game. For instance, Xbox has been proactive in this area, as demonstrated by the recent improvements in Diablo IV and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. In October, Diablo IV rolled out new accessibility enhancements particularly designed for visually impaired players.

Auto-Pins now add a map pin for the destination of selected quests, while Audio Navigation Assistance provides spatial audio pings that direct players toward their placed pin on the overworld map. These two features paired together allow players to navigate quest content while tracking their destination through audio navigation. A new Compass feature enables an on-screen HUD element that circles around the player, pointing them toward the place in-world pin.

The Call of Duty series has consistently prioritized accessibility, and this is evident in their games like Modern Warfare 3 and Black Ops 6. Following its release, Modern Warfare 3 introduced several accessibility features, which were further refined and built upon in Black Ops 6, along with new enhancements such as a high-contrast mode, an upgraded settings menu, and asymmetrical hearing compensation. It might be unexpected that a fast-paced first-person shooter like Black Ops 6 could be considered accessible, but the Call of Duty team’s dedication to creating helpful and practical accessibility options has earned them a nomination for Innovation in Accessibility at the 2024 Game Awards.

Investigating ways to simplify controller usage on PC for individuals facing pain issues, as well as gamers seeking additional customization options, became my focus, since playing certain computer games was exacerbating my discomfort.

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These features often originate as solutions to challenges faced by players with disabilities. Interestingly, they end up being useful for all players in a more general sense too. For instance, the frequent use of captions is a case in point. In fact, Rebellion, a studio known for games like Sniper Elite, Zombie Army, and Atomfall, revealed that around 90% of their player base employs captions.

Gaming for a cause

Although the demand for adaptability tools was high, Microsoft’s engineering teams faced significant challenges in distributing the Adaptive Controller to users because of concerns about potential losses in profit. However, Microsoft and Team Xbox chose to back this product, and they’ve also increased their investments in enhancing accessibility within gaming as a whole.

Team Xbox has extended an invitation for players to join them in promoting accessible gaming within World of Warcraft, as they introduce a new character. The revenue generated from this character will be donated towards the charity organization, CureDuchenne.

CureDuchenne is a global nonprofit leader in research, patient care, and innovation for improving and extending the lives of individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive neuromuscular disease that affected the life of Norwegian WoW player Mats “Ibelin” Steen. Netflix has recently released a documentary, “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” centering around Steen’s involvement in a World of Warcraft guild. The film is made up of retrospectives from his guild members and family, alongside excerpts from Steen’s blog.

In simpler terms, the “Reven” package for World of Warcraft comes with a fox sidekick (named Reven, which means ‘fox’ in Norwegian). This package can be purchased for both the latest version (Modern) and the original version (Classic) of World of Warcraft.

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2024-12-04 13:10