ReportAEVI
Llibre Blanc d’Accessibilitat per al Desenvolupament de Videojocs
1 Jan 2023106 pages~70 min full read
Accessibility must be integrated during early design phases to avoid the high costs of retrofitting, utilizing the European EN 301 549 ICT-accessibility standard as a foundational framework.
The global gaming market includes over three billion players, with approximately 400 million individuals living with a disability and 18 million regular players in Spain.
The Ga11y portal, launched in July 2022, provides a catalogue of 28 star-rated accessibility guidelines that map specific technical solutions to visual, auditory, motor, speech, and cognitive impairments.
Low-complexity features, such as customizable audio mixes and control-swap mechanisms, can be implemented with minimal technical effort to provide broad, cost-effective support.
Hardware accessibility is expanding through a combination of commercial adaptive controllers like the Sony Access Controller and Tobii Eye Tracker 5, alongside low-cost, 3D-printed bespoke accessories.
Industry bodies including AEVI and Fundación ONCE are pushing to transition accessibility from an optional add-on to a mandatory, strategic imperative for the European development landscape.
The central thesis is that video‑game accessibility must be embedded from the earliest design stages, using a standardized, non‑subjective evaluation framework, to achieve universal inclusion while avoiding the steep costs of retro‑fitting. Drawing on the European EN 301 549 ICT‑accessibility standard and the Ga11y portal launched in July 2022, the analysis provides a comprehensive catalogue of functional measures that map directly to specific disability profiles.
The market context is global, with more than three billion gamers worldwide, roughly 400 million of whom have a disability, and an estimated 18 million regular players in Spain. Despite growing awareness since 2014 and heightened industry focus from 2018, major publishers often omit disclosure of the accessibility features they implement. The work outlines 28 “star‑rated” guidelines, ranging from simple one‑star options such as clear iconography, customizable audio mixes, and control‑swap mechanisms, to complex five‑star solutions like sign‑language interpretation and AI‑driven navigation assistance. Each measure is linked to visual, auditory, motor, speech or cognitive impairments, and the guidance stresses that low‑complexity features can be integrated early with minimal technical effort, delivering broad, cost‑effective support.
A parallel emphasis is placed on the expanding hardware ecosystem. Commercial adaptive controllers—from the modular Sony Access Controller to eye‑tracking solutions like Tobii Eye Tracker 5—are complemented by low‑cost 3‑D‑printed accessories that enable bespoke adaptations. Collaboration between industry bodies such as AEVI and the Fundación ONCE underpins the push for mandatory, inclusive design practices across the European development landscape, positioning accessibility as a strategic imperative rather than an optional add‑on.
