Final Fantasy XIV wins AbleGamers' Mainstream Accessibility award

The AbleGamers Charity announced the winners of its annual accessibility awards for 2013 today, highlighting games like The Stanley Parable and Final Fantasy XIV alongside developers like Paradox Interactive and technology like the Stinkyboard. This is the first time that AbleGamers has acknowledged more than just the most accessible "mainstream" game of the year. For example, the charity recognized Paradox Interactive with an "Includification Award" for the studio's work -- with the help of AbleGamers -- to make its games accessible to all players. This year the charity's top honor, Most Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year, has been split into two categories: indie and mainstream. AbleGamers named The Stanley Parable the Most Accessible Indie Game of 2013, citing it as "the best of the best in indie game development" in terms of player accessibility. Square-Enix's cross-platform MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn was named AbleGamers' Most Accessible Mainstream Game of 2013, due in large part to its remarkably high 9.1 score on the AbleGamers accessibility scoring system. Square-Enix earned praise for developing a highly customizable game that could be enjoyed by players with a wide range of accessibility needs. "We are very honored to receive AbleGamers’ Mainstream Game of the Year Award,” said Naoki Yoshida, producer and director of the game, in a quote published on the AbleGamers website. “In terms of the visual aspect, especially how color is displayed, we took in the players’ feedback and continuously performed updates so that any player from around the world can enjoy the game, and are firmly committed to this moving forward." Here's the full list of Accessibility Award winners for 2013: Includification Award: Paradox Interactive Best Media Champion: Paul Nyheart, HDFilms Best Innovator: SpecialEffect Best New Device/Peripheral: StinkyBoard Best Accessible Indie Game of the Year: The Stanley Parable Best Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn The last time we checked in on AbleGamers, it had just opened the free AbleGamers Lab in the foundation's Washington, D.C. headquarters in order to better consult with players to help them figure out their unique accessibility needs.