Post-E3 Discussions
Whilst E3 was one of several highlights of the Fellowship research tour, there was much more to come, with many more interesting developments, as covered below.
Microsoft
I had a number of very positive interactions involving Microsoft, some of which happened at E3 as previously mentioned. However, there were a few highlights that happened after the large-scale trade show that are certainly worth mentioning.
Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct was originally released as an Xbox One launch title, accompanied by this launch trailer. At launch, the game only came with four characters (Jago, Sabrewulf, Glacius and Thunder) available, but with four more coming as part of what would become Season 1. Now, around four years on, it’s had a significant graphical upgrade as well as audio improvements, in addition to two additional seasons of content and a developer hand-over to Iron Galaxy.
Current Accessibility Features
Let me backtrack a little and show why Killer Instinct is, if not a completely playable title, one of the most well-liked and accessible fighting games on a mainstream console.
When I first bought an Xbox One (an original model, as this was before the days of the One S), I began to play Killer Instinct. I was not particularly skilled at it, by any means. However, I understood, to a degree, what was going on.
Once Narrator came along as part of the New Xbox One Experience, I began to fight against a GWS that I knew wanted to try the game but hadn’t really found a reason to pick it up. These exhibition matches went well, demonstrating that with the simple addition of a method of accessing the invite interface without sighted assistance, the game had increased enjoyment and entertainment value.
Once I got into ranked mode, which was a little before Narrator, I realised that there were issues with the game that needed to be fixed to allow for a more even playing field when fighting opponents who had any kind of usable vision, most prominant being the lack of information on how far you are from dropping your combo.
After voicing my concerns on the official Killer Instinct forums, I was surprised that the community rallied round me and supported me in my requests for accessibility features. What neither myself nor other members of the KI community knew was that the developers, behind the scenes, were working on solving the above issue and not long after my initial rant of sorts, a patch that introduced a beta version of a new character came along. With this new patch, however, also came notice of new audio cues, particularly for KV meter (the value that shows how far you are from dropping your combo).
The surprise for both myself and my previously mentioned fellow fighter was that it worked far better than I think we expected, making a pretty much night and day difference in both of our skill levels.
With these new changes in hand, I was able to get to the highest rank other than top 32, all because of a few simple but much needed additions to the game, with an adjustable slider to assist in calibration of the newly added HUD Volume slider.
When I realised I would get the chance to provide further feedback to a team who had already created a very accessible product, I was unsure what to expect, other than of course, passion, determination and an understanding attitude towards accessibility.
The Seattle KI Team
What I did not expect when I went to see the developers in the Microsoft part of the team, based in Seattle, was the opportunity to not only play as a new character, but also to fight one of the creators of the franchise, Ken Lobb.
These were both experiences that made me realise just how far Microsoft were pushing to try and make my time there as memorable and productive as possible. Playing a new character four days before the official release made me feel like any feedback I gave might be at least considered and those who were unsure as to how I learn new characters seemed to appreciate watching the process of discovery.
The exhibition set, between myself and Ken Lobb, proved to be quite interesting for both of us. As much as we have respect for each other, we both knew that during these matches, we were not going to hold back in terms of how we played. We didn’t fight in the classic titles, but instead on the latest entry in the series that Ken Lobb had not only helped create, but where he even voices a character, namely Thunder, shown in the linked character trailer from Season one.
Getting this chance to face off against an individual who had also helped in the production of well-known titles like GoldenEye 64 was made all the more atmospheric due to our choice of controllers. Whilst my opponent used a fightstick, a standard sight for most fighting game players, I fought him on a custom controller that I’d built with sighted assistance and took with me on my Fellowship, to show that controllers didn’t just have to be built to cater for a disability; they could be built for preference as well. Not only did this lead to numerous gamers and designers being interested in the result of my build and asking how much and where they could purchase one from, but it more importantly brought mine and Ken Lobb’s set as close as I have come to playing Killer Instinct in an arcade environment.
When the final fight was over, with myself having emerged as the victor at nine matches won to my opponent’s eight, I had a moment of realisation in terms of accessibility. Getting such an opportunity (namely to share a game with individuals responsible for its creation in one way or another) is a rare one. Being able to fight on a relatively even playing field, thanks to audio cues introduced partially because of my comments on the game during its second season, is an even more rare event.
If you are a developer and have the opportunity to play alongside a GWS, there’s a chance that if they know you were responsible for the game being played in some form, the experience will be even more memorable, regardless of the outcome. Moreover, there will be opportunities to ask for feedback and gain insight that might not otherwise be obtained on both sides of the spectrum, for GWS and developers alike.
Making such opportunities open to a wider variety of opponents, not just the subscribers to developer streams, for example, can make GWS more willing to participate in discussions about how the games or other products produced by developers might become more accessible.
Minecraft
You might think that Minecraft would be one of the harder games to make fully accessible as a GWS, even given the comparatively basic, blocky nature of the environments you explore. However, during my talks with the community manager for the game, it seemed as if accessibility considerations were already being thought of, even if, as it turned out, they were not currently in the game.
One such inclusion was, supposedly, accessible menus, which lead to a rather humorous moment when we actually went into the game. Hoping to be pleasantly surprised by the use of similar systems to Narrator speaking the menus, myself and the aforementioned community manager were met with absolute silence. We both burst out laughing when reality dawned on us that what we thought might be in the game actually was completely absent.
As a GWS, if you are told that accessibility options are in a game and they are not present, try and be as civil about it as possible so that you and the developers can have a laugh about it and progress towards getting what’s needed into the game as soon as possible.
As you may remember, merchandise can improve how GWS perceive a company in terms of how willing they are to accommodate those attending as part of studio visits. I was fortunate enough to receive a few plush toys as a souvenir, along with some other additional items. The plush characters emulate the blocky qualities of the in-game assets with a reasonable amount of detail whilst also being an interesting conversation starter in terms of a general display piece. Considering Minecraft is not currently playable at all as a GWS, it’s good to see that the merchandise side of things has been taken care of in a rather interesting way.
It was great to actually be able to discuss the possibilities of Minecraft’s accessibility whilst also playing through a couple of worlds that had been built and testing things out as I went along. One of the interesting areas I had the fortune to play through actually involved an auditory puzzle which, after 30 seconds or so of metaphorically tearing my hair out, I managed to solve. Even though this puzzle was not necessarily intended as an accessibility test, but rather part of a larger area if memory serves, it was definitely a talking point that could be used to further Minecraft’s development into an accessible title for GWS.
Gaming and Disability Bootcamp
The Gaming and Disability Bootcamp (GDBC) was an event held by Microsoft to discuss accessibility in videogames from various disability-centric angles. This included myself, the head of Dager System, Ian Hamilton (an accessibility specialist based in the UK) and Bryce Johnson (a member of the Xbox Design team), as well as representitives from Warfighter Engaged, a charity that helps veterans wounded in conflict to get back to gaming again via, amongst other assistance, custom controllers.
Moreover, representitives from Gaming For Everyone (G4E) and Microsoft employees from a number of departments got involved, asking questions, leading the event and making sure everything ran as smoothly as possible.
As a consumer and GWS, it was very interesting to see perspectives that, at times, I might not have necessarily considered (such as having difficulty playing a game with the use of only one hand), all given extra weight because the experiences I heard about were from people in the same room.
I had intended, as part of my own presentation, to discuss the differences between audiogames and mainstream titles, as well as my experiences with mainstream gaming since getting an Xbox One. However, due to some technical issues that I felt could not be resolved in a timely manner, myself and those running the event quickly reached a compromise that, in all fairness, worked out well. However, there were a few attendees who were interested to see the presentation and disappointed that it did not happen, though my improvised Q&A probably still had a reasonable level of impact.
For GWS seeking to present to developers or other interested parties, be prepared to possibly have technical issues, no matter how well prepared you are or think you might be.
343 Industries
I was invited to discuss accessibility with members of 343 Industries (343I), the current owners of the Halo franchise after taking over from Bungie.
Myself and a selection of others who attended the aforementioned GDBC were able to provide ideas in an unexpectedly informal and sometimes heated discussion as to the future of the series, what the current game does well and what could be improved for future entries.
After the discussions ended, I was pleased to be approached by one of the employees present at the talks, who seemed very much interested in some of the ideas I had presented using a prototype Halo map and mode I had helped construct with sighted assistance. This further shows that even if you just get to talk to one person, that can at least ignite the spark of interest needed to get accessibility to be a higher priority than it is at most companies.
343 Museum Visit
As most Halo fans might already know, 343I has a museum dedicated to Halo as a franchise. Whether through displays of sealed copies of the games and their various editions to toy weapons and action figures, or through having life-size costumes from various commercials and small screen films and commercials, it’s certainly a very interesting place to explore.
What though, you might think, would a GWS like myself even get out of such a visit? The answer, in fact, is a pretty logical one. In my experience, when playing videogames, though I might not have any kind of idea as to what the characters look like, my mind works to fill in the gaps in combination with the sound design. These images, though sufficiently accurate in the imagination of a GWS like myself, may be flawed compared to the real thing in various aspects like height compared to the player character.
However, when you are able to gain a physical cross-reference, such as the objects in the museum (especially when they are at least close to life-size scale), it can really enhance an image of a character. For instance, as much as any Spartan action figure I have can give a vague idea of the general proportions and the armour style etc, that’s nothing compared to standing as close as possible to what is essentially, the closest thing you are going to get to a real suit of the Mjolnir armour. Standing with a statue of an elite (one of the more formidable enemies in the majority of Halo games) towering over you, you certainly have the opportunity to gain a whole new set of perspectives as a GWS on just how access to such resources can make a difference in understanding the in-game world and even the expanded universe of books, films and other alternative media when available in accessible formats.
Having the opportunity to see the alien creatures, such as the aforementioned elites (also called Sangheili) and Jiralhanae (more commonly known as brutes) up close, even though they were just costumes, breathed new life into the large, hulking but at times graceful forms. It made me realise that if developers have such costumes or even smaller-scale models, they should allow them to be displayed in public with accessibility accommodation for people with any number of disabilities, including GWS. Allowing these experiences, whilst it does provide the benefits of cross-referencing listed above, also allows consumers to gain a deeper understanding of the characters featured in the in-game universe and could serve as a useful jumping off point to get players interested in franchises they might not think of exploring otherwise.
Nvidia
You might be thinking “what on earth would a company mostly known for graphics cards have to do with game accessibility?”
Well, the way I saw it before I undertook my Fellowship and even more so after the fact, accessibility in gaming comes under several categories, as follows:
Games: Accessibility of the various titles put out by studios and publishers.
Platforms: Accessibility of the systems the games run on, such as Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. PC has a broader spectrum as there are multiple distribution methods, including Steam and Origin to name but two.
Capture Software/hardware: Accessibility of hardware interfaces and software to capture gameplay, including gameplay and commentary. Such devices on the hardware front are produced by AverMedia and Elgato, with software including Nvidia’s Shadowplay, AMD ReLive and MSI Afterburner.
Game-related hardware: This final category encompasses the required elements to allow games to run at a smooth enough level to be playable, including but not limited to processors, sound cards, hard drives and, more relevant to this report, graphics cards.
After receiving a GTX1050 graphics card as a gift, I understood that graphics cards, as much as they might not seem important as a GWS, are crucial in getting any modern game to play smoothly and without issue.
However, altering the settings on such cards, I discovered, is not something you could do without sighted assistance. Contacting Nvidia, I was pleased to see that they were willing to talk.
Demonstrating the issues at hand
Though Nvidia was not my first port of call for meetings in the states, I got a very interesting and slightly unexpected reaction that was in fact mirrored by several other companies I met whilst undertaking the Fellowship. Specifically, it was one of surprise, both at the fact that someone without sight was playing a videogame and doing well at it, but also that there were use cases for their software that had not even been considered, namely use with a screen reader.
Even though my attempts to demonstrate the issues experienced when trying to play modern games on lower-end hardware went somewhat awry thanks to some rather unexpected actions on the part of the laptop I was using, the points I was trying to get across were nevertheless understood. If you want to involve yourself in mainstream gaming, you will need hardware that is better than minimum.
In terms of accessibility, Nvidia demonstrated that hardware manufacturers can help with solving issues that might not allow mainstream games to run well. Such issues might include a card not being able to process enough information, solved by overclocking which is, as stated above, currently not possible with screen reading software and graphics card modification programs.
My thoughts on wider areas of accessibility, including software that works in conjunction with games, do not just stop at Nvidia though.
Valve
Given the opportunity for in-person discussion with Valve employees, my focus was directly on the accessibility not necessarily of the games that they maintain, but of the Steam platform itself and its inaccessibility to GWS.
My impressions of Valve Corporation when I went into the building were relatively different from those I had when I left. Partly because of something that does not seem to be public knowledge to me, the fact that Valve’s staff is between 300 and 400 people and they do not have a standard hierarchy. The employees change from project to project on an irregular basis, coming up with ideas as they go. At least that’s what I understood from the talks I had.
After the various employees I got to talk to understood how I play videogames, the conversation took an interesting turn. In trying to exit Steam, I was able to demonstrate that doing so with a screen reader was next to impossible and there was usually no solution other than killing the process via Task Manager or rebooting the machine completely if that fails. An employee’s advice that big picture mode might be an alternative solution backfired through a practical demonstration of how it prevented the screen reader from being able to work with any elements on the screen at all after it was initiated, prompting me to have to force shutdown the machine and start from scratch.
The conclusion that was reached, whilst not ideal, would have to do: Valve understood there was a problem and my presentation and Q&A had actually been the best possible thing I could have done to make them aware of any issues. However, they gave no sort of time estimate on when these issues might be fixed. This was because, ostensibly, they would have to get enough dedicated team members on board with an accessibility project like this in order to start fixing the various issues, with no one knowing when that might happen. At least it’s a start.
Iron Galaxy
I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the headquarters of Iron Galaxy in Chicago, to deliver a pre-prepared presentation and also play some KI with the employees.
It yielded some interesting results in that there were questions from the art team, which meant I had to clarify my position as a GWS, discussing the benefits of being able to cross-reference in-game models with physical media like action figures (similar to what I discussed earlier surrounding the 343 museum visit). Not only that, but it also served to show the amount of advantage competent players with sight have over those relying on sound alone and that, when the tables were turned, everything changed.
You can watch the resulting exhibition set in this linked playlist
NetherRealm Studios
NetherRealm Studios (NRS), also based in Chicago, are known for developing the Mortal Kombat franchise, but they have also worked with DC comics to bring Injustice: Gods Among Us (IGAU) and its sequel, Injustice 2 (I2), to various platforms, including Mobile.
The employees I got to speak to (including a member of the audio team and the NRS Community Manager) were, once they understood how great an issue accessibility was, certainly open for suggestions. The ideas that were thought up during those discussions (including panning left and right to allow easier determination of which direction to press for a character choice in I2’s story mode) were a little surprising to me, given that I had not prepared those as concepts to expand on during the meeting.
As with previous studio visits, I got to fight one of the individuals present, namely Steve Brownback A.K.A Osu16bit, a player that those familiar with NRS regular streams will have seen coaching and sometimes fighting against those in the recording space.
Needless to say, the fights were not in my favour. In a sense though, that’s what I went to the studio to prove: that far more can be done in terms of allowing GWS to have a fair fight against those with sight who can work with the relative simplicity of animations to defeat their opponents.
Harmonix
Harmonix was my final port of call in the US, located in Boston. The individuals I met there, including Community Manager Josh Harrison, were very accommodating. Given that Rock Band and its associated products are not always deemed as accessible, it was great to witness the reactions of employees indicating that the reality that accessibility is achievable and relatively simple, at least on a theoretical basis, had dawned.
Dropmix, a party game that’s actually almost a board game as well, was also a point of discussion, with the main bombshell that the app that comprises the game itself not being accessible hitting hard but with a positive outlook afterwards. The mention of a Unity plugin that can allow IOS apps to be made accessible in a number of days sparked hope for the project and when I left that smaller meeting, having had a demonstration of the product, I think it’s fair to say that I had high hopes for it being accessible, if not at launch then in future iterations.
As with other studios, I was filmed for the purposes of providing internal footage for employees to look back at later. Having the opportunity to be in the same space that Harmonix actually uses for their streams was quite surreal as well, but being undermined by the latency between the TV and the game itself did not really help my reputation as someone who has learnt a couple of songs on Rock Band to a fairly decent level.The humorous angle on this was that my sighted bandmate, an employee at Harmonix, also had issues with the TV’s lag in places.
As much as being filmed in their streaming space was an interesting experience, the real highlight of the visit to Harmonix was not just being able to play a game that’s been a large part of my previous generation console experience, but getting to play it in VR.
Having only played a small VR tech demo or two before that (though not of the game itself), as well as having heard reports and seen clips of Rock Band VR in action, I was surprised to find out just how intricate and interesting my first full VR experience really was.
VR is not the most accessible of mediums in terms of public perception, given that most experiences are given over to high-quality visuals and not much else. Rock Band VR is different in that it manages to totally immerse you in the feeling of playing in front of a live audience. Other than the plastic guitar in your hands, of course. The croud is deafening, the amps squeal as you play even before you begin playing the song, as the head tracking allows you to hear the surroundings from different angles.
There are even tiny little quality of life adjustments (or should that be quality of live) to make the game even more of an immersive experience, including having the song previews come from speakers apparently in the ceiling.
I used these previews to test head tracking with the rift and I must say I was impressed. That was nothing compared to my reaction of being in the game and playing along to a song that though I knew it well, I had never heard it quite the same way as in Rock Band VR.
That’s not to say the accessibility experience was completely flawless, however, with the necessity to look at interface items and the drummer to begin the game causing problems. Not to mention, of course, the fact that the controller and the rig itself seemed to have a few technical issues of their own, which were, I’m glad to say, eventually fixed.
Harmonix, like the majority of the developers I spoke to, seemed positive regarding accessibility, once they realised what it entailed. I just hope that, in the future, it is integrated into their products at an earlier stage, not as a retrofit. Nevertheless, I am more than happy to see they are willing to go the extra mile to make their experiences open to a wider demographic.