Leveling Up: The History of Assistive Technology in the Gaming World

By Rowan Tipping

According to the Entertainment Software Association, 65% of Americans play video games for at least one hour per week [1]. I mention this statistic to quantify the phenomenon of gaming in our country, as it has touched almost all of our lives. Also, according to the Shepherd Center, 45.9% of Adults with Disabilities in this country play video games [2]. Overall when considering both statistics gaming can be understood as a phenomenon that has interacted with everyone including almost half of those with disabilities. Due to the nature of certain disabilities and depending on the game, many of them were/are inaccessible due to the expectations a game might have of a player that they are unable to meet. With this in mind, many individuals with disabilities are left out of certain games, but thanks to technological innovation there has been and is a movement to make games more accessible. We will be looking into some of the key advancements in assistive technology in video games historically to gain a deeper understanding of the movement. 

The first technological innovation related to making video games more accessible can be seen in Nintendo’s Hands-Free Controller for the NES in 1986 [3]. This controller was worn like a vest and had a chin-activated joystick as well as a small pipe in the controller that helped the player control the A and B buttons, it was sold exclusively through Nintendo’s Customer Service phone number at the time and sold for years [4]. This allowed players who were experiencing paralysis in most of their body to have the ability to play most NES games with the few exceptions being games that require ‘the Zapper Light Gun’ or the ‘PowerPad’ (alternative game accessories) [5]. Though for its time this was a major innovation that was a big step forward for assistive technology in video games to make them more accessible.

A second technological innovation in gaming that makes it more accessible is the first form of button/control remapping for console games. This first can be seen in the game Mortal Kombat 2 (1993), which allowed players to customize the controls for the game, allowing many gamers with disabilities to change the controls to fit their needs [6]. Other games would follow suit including Street Fighter 2 Turbo and Doom (1993) showing a popular trend in that new feature with players appreciating the amount of power it gives them to play a game in a way that works for them [6]. Overall while this change is not a physical tool, as a feature for video game consoles it allowed players to make changes in the way they can interact with the game, including players with disabilities who could use the feature to fit their needs.

A final technology innovation that helped make gaming more accessible was something that is considered common now: ' difficulty levels’. While the term itself can be controversial in its wording (implying one is playing in a more or less difficult way), the benefits this feature has gameplay-wise made many games more accessible to a larger audience, including those with disabilities. The release of this feature can be seen in the early 2000s with Halo: Combat Evolved (2001) and Madden NFL 2004 (2003) being two notable major games that implemented the feature first [7]. This advancement in assistive technology for video games is major so much so that it is now a commonplace feature as the need and demand for it was so high that it is now almost a given for most games.

While these three historical technological advancements have transformed the gaming world writ large the movement does not stop there. Gaming still has many gaps in accessibility but those gaps are being filled by various organizations, one major one is called The AbleGamers Foundation and their mission is “Creating opportunities that enable play in order to combat social isolation, foster inclusive communities, and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities” [9]. They address inaccessibility in the gaming world in various ways from having peer counselors (individuals who assist people in learning certain games) to investing in assistive technology research that results in the creation of gaming equipment that fits the needs of different disabled gamers. In 2020 they even certified 113 Game Developers as accessible player practitioners in other words, they promote accessibility through their games and the features included in them. 

Overall, while the gaming world still has a lot of problems to address in the realm of accessibility for those with varying types of disabilities it can be seen progress has been made and continues to be made. From controllers that work for those with specific needs due to their disability to game features such as button remapping/customization and difficulty changing that increase game accessibility writ large to organizations that have peer counselors that assist those with disabilities trying to learn certain games. There is of course still more to do to make gaming more accessible, but assistive technology and advocacy for the needs of those with disabilities has still progressed in the gaming world writ large. This can be seen in the 2016 adventure-action game Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End which includes accessibility features due to a man named Josh Straub who is an accessibility consultant who has Cerebral Palsy. While there is room to improve technology, advocacy organizations and voices to share experiences and difficulties, progress is nonetheless being made in the fight for a more accessible gaming world.

References

[1]  “2023 Essential Facts About the U.S. Video Game Industry.” Entertainment Software Association, July 2023. https://www.theesa.com/resources/essential-facts-about-the-us-video-game-industry/2023-2/. 

[2] Mosely, Sarah, Raeda Anderson, George Usmanov, John Morris, and Ben Lippincott. “Video Game Trends Over Time for People with Disabilities.” The Journal on Technology and Persons with Disabilities, 2022. https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/downloads/7s75dm418#:~:text=While%2045.9%25%20of%20all%20respondents,%2C%20and%2043.4%25%20in%202021.&text=This%20work%20can%20aid%20understanding,respondents%20reported%20playing%20video%20games.

[3] “History of Adaptive Tech.” The AbleGamers Foundation, August 5, 2021. https://ablegamers.org/history-of-accessibility-in-gaming/.

[4] Cuevas, Zackery. “Game Changers: Inside The Epic Quest to Make Gaming More Accessible.” PC Magazine, August 10, 2023. https://www.pcmag.com/news/game-changers-inside-the-epic-quest-to-make-gaming-more-accessible#:~:text=In%20the%20early%20days%20of,but%20it%20sold%20for%20years. [5] “NES Hands Free Controller.” Boulder County Assistive Devices Database. Accessed October 26, 2024. https://aging.networkofcare.org/boulder-co/AssistiveDevices/ProductDetail?productId=91699#:~:text=The%20NES%20Hands%20Free%20Controller%20(HFC)%20is,a%20moveable%20arm%20is%20used%20to%20activate. 

[6] Halpin, Michael. “Invading the Space of Video Game Accessibility.” Recite Me, May 24, 2023. https://reciteme.com/news/video-game-accessibility/.

[7] “Accessibility in Gaming: ‘We All Win.’” Konvoy Ventures, April 5, 2024. https://www.konvoy.vc/content/accessibility-in-gaming-we-all-win.

[8] Staff, GR. “Uncharted’s Accessibility Options Influenced by Disabled Gamer Requests.” Game Rant, May 20, 2016. https://gamerant.com/uncharted-accessibility-options/. 

[9] “Our Impact.” The AbleGamers Foundation, February 9, 2021. https://ablegamers.org/impact/.