The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has recently unveiled the Accessible Games Initiative, a groundbreaking "tag" system designed to enhance video game accessibility for consumers. Announced at the Game Developers Conference, this initiative is a collaborative effort involving major industry players such as Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, and Ubisoft. Additional companies including Amazon, Riot Games, Square Enix, and WB Games have also joined the cause, with the ESA overseeing the initiative's management.

Under this initiative, participating video game companies will use a standardized set of 24 "tags" to label their games, providing detailed accessibility feature information on digital storefronts and product pages. These tags will help consumers understand which accessibility features are available in each game, such as "clear text," "large and clear subtitles," "narrated menus," "stick inversion," "save anytime," "difficulty levels," and "playable without button holds," among others.

Stanley Pierre-Louis, ESA's president and CEO, emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating, "Tens of millions of Americans have a disability and often face barriers to experiencing the joy and connection that comes with playing video games. We are immensely proud to announce the Accessible Games Initiative in partnership with industry leaders. This initiative demonstrates how impactful we can be when we work together in our industry-wide pursuit of helping more people experience the power of play."

The rollout of these tags will occur gradually, on a company-by-company basis, and while not mandatory, they promise to significantly improve the gaming experience for players with disabilities. Initially, the tags will be available in English, with potential expansions or modifications to the tags expected in the future.

Accessible Games Initiative tags:

Auditory Features

Tag: Multiple Volume Controls

Description: Separate volume controls are available for different types of sounds, such as music, speech, sound effects, background audio, text-to-speech audio, accessibility audio cues, and voice chat. Additionally, all game sounds can be adjusted simultaneously with one volume control.

Tag: Mono Sound

Description: This feature allows players to experience the game with mono audio, where the same audio is sent to all channels, effectively providing a single, combined audio channel.

Tag: Stereo Sound

Description: Players can enjoy stereo audio, where sounds indicate their position from left to right, but not from above, below, ahead, or behind.

Tag: Surround Sound

Description: With surround sound, players can pinpoint the direction of sounds from any angle.

Tag: Narrated Menus

Description: This feature enables the use of screen readers or voice narration for menus and notifications, allowing players to navigate and interact with the game through auditory cues.

Tag: Chat Speech-to-Text & Text-to-Speech

Description: This tag supports both auditory and visual features, allowing players to use text-to-speech and speech-to-text for in-game chats with other players, facilitating real-time narration of text chats and transcription of voice chats.

Gameplay Features

Tag: Difficulty Levels

Description: Players can choose from multiple difficulty settings, including at least one that lessens the challenge intensity. Detailed descriptions of the differences between difficulty levels are provided.

Tag: Save Anytime

Description: Players can manually save their progress at any point, except during specific moments such as when the game is saving or loading, or when saving could lead to game-breaking scenarios.

Input Features

Tag: Basic Input Remapping

Description: This feature allows players to rearrange button controls using methods like button swapping. The "Full Input Remapping" tag offers more comprehensive control remapping options.

Tag: Full Input Remapping

Description: Players can assign any game action to any control across all supported input methods, including keyboards, mice, controllers, and virtual on-screen controls. This also includes swapping controller stick functionality.

Tag: Stick Inversion

Description: Players can invert the direction of thumbsticks and other directional inputs, affecting game movement in both vertical and horizontal directions.

Tag: Playable without Button Holds

Description: This feature enables gameplay without the need to hold digital inputs like keys or buttons, although some analog inputs might still require holds.

Tag: Playable without Rapid Button Presses

Description: Players can enjoy the game without the need for repetitive button actions, such as button mashing or quick-time events.

Tag: Playable with Keyboard Only

Description: The game can be played using just a keyboard, without requiring any other input devices.

Tag: Playable with Mouse Only

Description: This feature allows gameplay using only a mouse, including support for adaptive technologies that map to mouse inputs.

Tag: Playable with Buttons Only

Description: Players can control the game and its menus using only digital inputs like buttons or keys, where pressure sensitivity is not a factor.

Tag: Playable with Touch Only

Description: This feature supports gameplay using only touch controls, eliminating the need for any non-touch input devices.

Tag: Playable Without Motion Controls

Description: Players can enjoy the game without needing to use motion controls.

Tag: Playable Without Touch Controls

Description: This tag indicates that the game can be played without using touchpads or touchscreens.

Visual Features

Tag: Chat Speech-to-Text & Text-to-Speech

Description: This tag, which includes both auditory and visual features, allows players to use text-to-speech and speech-to-text for in-game chats, providing real-time narration of text chats and transcription of voice chats.

Tag: Clear Text

Description: Text in menus, control panels, and settings is displayed at a reasonable size and contrast, which can be adjusted. The font is less stylized or can be changed to a more readable option.

Tag: Large Text

Description: Players can use a large font size for text in menus, control panels, and settings, relative to the device's screen resolution and typical viewing distance.

Tag: Large & Clear Subtitles

Description: Subtitles are provided for all dialogue, with adjustable size, background transparency, and font options to ensure readability and avoid overlapping with critical game elements.

Tag: Color Alternatives

Description: Important information is communicated without relying solely on color, using shape, pattern, icons, or text instead.

Tag: Camera Comfort

Description: This feature eliminates or allows adjustment of camera effects that could cause discomfort, such as shaking, swaying, bobbing, motion blur, and forced narrative-based movement.

The Accessible Games Initiative represents a significant step forward in making video gaming more inclusive and enjoyable for everyone, reflecting a collective commitment from the industry to prioritize accessibility.