Collection of announcements, initiatives, launches and events from this year's event
Global Accessibility Awareness Day is event that takes place on the third Thursday of every May, with the goal of raising awareness about digital accessibility. Every successive year the games industry has been embracing it to ever greater levels.
It's looking like 2022 is no exception, including the return of some in-person events. Some of the efforts are not public knowledge, companies holding private internal initiatives, individuals sending emails around their teams, and so on. But many are public knowledge, including some pretty huge announcements.
So here's the result of my social media scouring on the day, a list of all of the great happenings that I was able to find -
Twitch stream with Victor Andre and Vantezzle, discussing why accessibility matters while playing Division 2
https://twitter.com/Black1976/status/1527293327929843713
Unveiling of Buddy Controller, iOS/Mac equivalent of Co-pilot on Xbox and Tandem on Stadia, allowing the input from two controllers to act as one
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/05/apple-previews-innovative-accessibility-features/
Showcase of iOS games that make strong accessibility efforts
https://apps.apple.com/story/id1618279292
Interview with Melanie Eilert
https://twitter.com/melly_maeh/status/1525136457047982083
Twitter thread on why accessibility matters
https://twitter.com/TheCafeEla/status/1527292723941609472
Announcement of the aquisition of CanIPlayThat by DAGERSystem in a partnership that will create the largest resource for game-accessibility journalism in the world, pooling resources and expertise and ensuring both stability and scalable growth for the years to come
https://dagersystem.com/letter-from-dagersystem-president-josh-straub/
https://caniplaythat.com/2022/05/19/can-i-play-that-x-dagersystem-may-2022-update/
https://caniplaythat.com/2022/05/19/dreams-realized-a-farewell-from-our-co-founder/
Personal origin story thread of how she got into accessibility
https://twitter.com/CariWatterton/status/1527220770367320065
Thread on how MAze3D was made accessible, including to blind playerss
https://twitter.com/gregrgay/status/1527030650917769218
Twitter thread with tips and best practices for teaching about accessibility, gleaned from their experiences of running accessibility workshops
https://twitter.com/CyclopediaBrain/status/1527232166232571905
Diamond award winners announcement - overall winner to New Pokémon Snap, barrier breaker for Insomniac's game speed controls
https://dagersystem.com/2021-diamond-award-winner-new-pokemon-snap/
https://dagersystem.com/barrier-breaker-game-speed-controls-insomniac-games-2021/
Announcement that over a quarter of a million Madden 22 players have used colourblind settings
https://twitter.com/momoxmia/status/1527411455921750016
Showcase of accessibility considerations in Fay's Factory
https://twitter.com/egordorogov/status/1527380555087872000
A week of internal talks on a range of accessibility topics, from disabled advocates & socialists Amy Kavanagh, Tiffany Witcher, Laura Kate Dale and Paul Amadeus Lane
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/eidosmontreal_a11y-accessibility-gaad-activity-6932754025272553473-rydu
Site refresh and post/video showcasing the work of the site, useful resources, and people to follow
https://www.taminggaming.com/blog/Global+Accessibility+Awareness+Day
https://twitter.com/GeekDadGamer/status/1527306517761798145
Launch of new aim mode aimed at reducing motion sickness
https://twitter.com/PowerWashSim/status/1527272871101202432
Playlist of 5 years worth of lived experience talks, disabled people sharing their personal experiences of disability and accessibility
Twitch showcase of Apex Legends' accessibility considerations
https://twitter.com/nohandsnoexcuse/status/1527111930447798273
Accessibility pledge, committing to building a workforce who will champion inclusive design and built it into the core values and ethos of the studio
https://twitter.com/HyperLuminalUK/status/1527289925401387008
2022 edition of the GAAD annual accessibility trivia quiz
https://twitter.com/ianhamilton_/status/1527272863555899392
Article by IGEA CEO Ron Curry encouraging developers to actively consider accessibility, including new data showing 60% of Australian players want to see a greater focus on accessibility & inclusion
https://www.gameshub.com/news/opinions-analysis/accessibility-day-2022-how-inclusive-design-features-in-video-games-benefit-many-19161/
Conference talk at Agora on the development of blind friendly mobile game To the Dragon Cave
https://twitter.com/radlicek/status/1524678000473694208
Twitch channel takeover by 8 disabled streamers & content creators - Jolty, CtrlAltQuin, DJBluePDX, Jay Justice, Steve Saylor, Chris 'DeafgamersTV' Robinson, and Humphrey 'nohandsnoexcuse' Hanley
https://twitter.com/LogitechG/status/1526623626652434433
The return of the "one minute accessibility tips" video series
https://twitter.com/ManyCatsCIC/status/1527325711744217090
Announcement of an accessibility-focused community jam in Dreams, and sharing new accessibility guidelines for Dreams creators
https://docs.indreams.me/en/help/accessibility/make-your-dreams-accessible
Upgrade to Dreams' accessibility playlists, including new categorisation
https://caniplaythat.com/2022/05/19/dreams-awesome-accessibility-playlist-gets-updated-page/
Virtual lessons and lesson plans on real world accessibility for classrooms around the world , taught through the the Buildability, a Minecraft: Education Edition world designed to help students understand, identify, and work to eliminate accessibility barriers in their school and community.
https://education.minecraft.net/en-us/blog/learning-accessibility-with-minecraft
Interview with Eidos Montreal about the accessibility innovation in Guardians Of The Galaxy
https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/05/19/eidos-montreal-marvels-guardians-of-the-galaxy-global-accessibility-awareness-day-interview/
Twitter thread highlighting advocates and content creators
https://twitter.com/Gaiazelle/status/1526408700226699264
Sharing the first couple of data points from her research into disabled players of multiplayer games
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhFF9B7_5MA
Publicly sharing their internal collection of accessibility resources and links
https://playstationlondonstudio.com/our-gaming-accessibility-resources/
Article on the Accessibility Features in Sniper Elite 5 on Xbox Wire
https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2022/05/18/scoping-out-the-accessibility-features-of-sniper-elite-5/
New Accessibility feedback channel on the Rebellion Discord
https://twitter.com/Rebellion/status/1526561095573549056
Detailed list with screenshots for accessing helpful settings and features in Sniper Elite 5
https://support.rebellion.com/hc/en-gb/articles/5204158255645-What-accessibility-features-are-in-the-game-
Accessibility showcase of eight games
https://www.reviewed.com/accessibility/features/accessible-video-games-global-accessibility-awareness-day-gaad
Podcast with Rae Johnston about a handless gaming bracelet
https://twitter.com/QueensDroneAge/status/1525988886173822976
Preview of a selection of the suite of accessibility considerations in God Of War Ragnarök, alongside an audio-described trailer
https://blog.playstation.com/2022/05/19/god-of-war-ragnarok-accessibility-features-revealed/#sf256499177
https://twitter.com/SonySantaMonica/status/1527276223352582144
Twitch showcase of three accessible games
https://twitter.com/sazzle04/status/1518617438157516801
Thread of things that give him greater agency in video games as a sightless player
https://twitter.com/sightlessKombat/status/1527298252529225728https://twitter.com/sightlessKombat/status/1527298252529225728
Video explaining how the concept of sighted assistance works
https://twitter.com/sightlessKombat/status/1527383350528208897
Video showcase of audio description, why it matters, and how it is used to make Stories of Blossom accessible to blind players
https://twitter.com/sazzle04/status/1518617438157516801
Video of Matthew Gallant, Mila Pavlin, Morgan Baker, Michelle Zorilla, Paul Amadeus Lane and Em Schatz talking about the importance of accessibility
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjZMhzLAEM0
SIE blog post sharing progress made across the business in the past year
https://www.sie.com/en/blog/sony-interactive-entertainment-celebrates-global-accessibility-awareness-day/
Update the Accessibility Collection on the PlayStation Store with some new releases that showcase great accessibility and inclusive design
https://twitter.com/markusfriend/status/1527206781423853568
GAAD message from Sony chairman/president/CEO Kenichiro Yoshida, calling out PlayStation's accessibility efforts
https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/accessibility/event/GAAD2022/message.html
Save & rewind functionality for PS1 and PSP games
https://twitter.com/markusfriend/status/1527245242025508864
Video and post to thank the public and industry for their support, showcasing people who have been helped by SpecialEffect's work
https://twitter.com/SpecialEffect/status/1527242664059588610
Homepage takeover by disabled content creators - TiffanyWitcher, DynamicReactoins, CoinFuryTV, jtownholla, CocoConfession, Nitakine, CookingWithoutLooking, Imakuni and Imperial
https://blog.twitch.tv/en/2022/05/19/celebrating-one-in-a-billion-talent-for-gaad/
Interview with Raashi Sikka and David Tisserand about the reasons for and impact of merging the accessibility team with the diversity & inclusion team
https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/6mk0j2cvAIF6nZ3grZ9XuA/ubisoft-brings-together-diversity-inclusion-and-accessibility-into-one-team
Launch of the Xbox ASL Twitch channel, that features American Sign Language interpretation for original livestreams
https://www.sorenson.com/press/press-releases/sorenson-and-xbox-disrupt-gaming-industry-by-providing-asl-access/
Article sharing Xbox progress and innovations over recent months
https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2022/05/19/xbox-celebrates-the-gaming-and-disability-community/
And to finish on, a couple of quotes -
"Now we're having that next level conversation about how can we execute this better, how can we push this even further? Who's breaking the boundaries, who's pushing the frontiers? Who's trying new things that nobody's tried before? It's an exciting challenge to take on"
- Matthew Gallant, Naughty Dog
"To all disabled people and a11y advocates - take time for self care. don't work for free. go where you are wanted and valued."
- Tolu
GAAD 2022 is set for May 18th!
Republished from ian-hamilton.com/blog
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