Accessibility tools in modern operating systems help users modify the system to their personal needs. Those tools range from simple settings like increasing the font size system wide, to software that helps people with motor disabilities navigate their phones using a single switch. Developers can leverage those tools to make their own software accessible to every user. But a big area where this kind of leverage is often not possible are video games, because of the usage of game engines like Unity. These engines make it easy to bring the game to a wide range of platforms, but also make the game miss out on platform specific accessibility features. Since the Unity engine doesn’t provide any accessibility tools, game studios have to create their own. Many game studios simply cannot afford to go this extra mile or simply do might not even know how big of a difference having accessibility tools can make to many users. Thats the reason why the KAP project came to live.
The KAP Unity package provides some simple tools that will help you make your game more accessible for visually impaired players. KAP is an open source project and can be used without any fees. If any feature is not supported on the platform you’re working on, please contribute to the project!
Here are some useful links!
Accessibility on Apple Platforms
- Berk Icel: Gaming Through New Eyes
- Accessible Media Inc.: Gaming Blind
- HBO: This Is How To Play Video Games If You're Totally Blind
- GDC: AAA Gaming While Blind
- GDC: Game Accessibility: Practical Visual Fixes from EA's Madden NFL Franchise
- Making Games Better for Players with Motor Disabilities
- Making Games Better for Gamers with Colourblindness & Low Vision
- Making Games Better for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- Making Games Better for Players with Cognitive Disabilities
- AppleVis: Community-powered website for blind and low-vision users of Apple devices
- Audiogames.net: Compmunity-powered website about audio games