As regular Internet Matters readers will know, the site offers extensive and flexible accessibility settings to allow you to adjust the contrast, text, cursor, and page structure. This type of arrangement on websites has come about by leaps and bounds.

Less well known is the progress that video games are making to offer an inclusive design or setting that allows more people to enjoy these experiences. Video games offer difficulty settings, the ability to adjust how the game is displayed and how it sounds. They can also offer different forms of control, including schemes that can be used with reduced motor function.

The challenge may be finding which games offer these settings that are useful to you and your family. The Family Video Game Databaseprovides a way to search for games that meet your specific criteria. This could be games that don’t require reading for a younger player, games that offer subtitles, or games that have high-contrast modes.

Game difficulty level: Accessibility: video games designed for everyone

These settings adjust not only the difficulty of a game, but also the way the challenge is presented to the player. Some games allow you to select from preset difficulty levels, while others provide a customizable series of assist modes and settings.

• Customize difficulty 
• Adjust game speed
• Aim and steer assistance 

Amount of in-game reading: Accessibility: video games designed for everyone

The amount of reading in a game can greatly change the experience. There are a number of criteria in video game design that offer an experience with different amounts of reading. Similarly, games can provide this narration and dialogue with voice or full subtitles. Where there are captions, some games also provide a title indication of who is speaking, their pitch, and other background sounds.

• No reading required
• Great clear subtitles
• Tone speaker and subtitle indicator
• All dialogue is expressed

Controls available to play the game: Accessibility: video games designed for everyone

Games are, by nature, interactive. How these interactions are achieved depends on the control scheme they offer us. These can be designed to be simple or complex. They can also provide settings to ensure that things like holding down buttons or pressing buttons quickly are not a barrier to continuing.

• Play with one button
• Press and hold optional buttons 
• Optional fast pressing
• Play with a stick and buttons

Accessible video game image design

The look of a video game is an important way for us to understand what is happening in the game world. Different visual styles and techniques can accomplish this in different ways. How a game shapes interactions or the way forward is important if you have a visual impairment, dizziness, or color blindness.

• Large game elements 
• High contrast mode 
• No screen shake
• Colorblind options

Audio controls

Video games also use sounds to signal what is happening in the game. Whether it’s a background setting setting the scene or hearing the footsteps of another player around the corner, audio is a crucial element of a game. It’s also helpful to be able to adjust the audio to your needs, as well as provide visual cues that pop when key audio is played.

• Balance audio levels 
• Visual cues for audio events
• Visual representation of audio direction 

In-game communication options

Of course, video games are often online and played with other people, not in the same room. Communicating with them effectively is often a critical element in being able to play a video game. There are a number of functions and settings that can help this interaction.

• Preset chat phrases
• Convert text to speech chat 
• Convert voice chat to text 

With this information in hand, you can find games that are more accessible to a wide range of people. Combine this with information about the appropriate PEGI ratings and the system you have in your home, and you can find a set of games that are a lot of fun and that will work for the ages of your children.