Inclusive Gaming: How audio accessibility delivers a more accessible gaming experience

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Playing a competitive multiplayer game and hearing an enemy fire off in the distance, walking up to an NPC in a small town to engage in a conversation in an open-world RPG, and having the music change to a more dramatic and energetic tone signaling action is about to commence - these are all examples of audio playing a vital role in the games we all play.

According to Private Internet Access (PIA), sound design in video games is often underappreciated or overlooked. Sound can be crucial to immersion and the overall experience, and for people who are hard of hearing, no sound can mean the difference between being able to play or not at all.

According to the World Health Organization, 5% of the world's population experiences hearing loss, including tens of millions of children. Games with accessibility options for the hearing impaired help level the playing field.

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This article will highlight popular games across various genres that include intuitive and impressive accessibility options for the deaf and hearing-impaired. It will also put together a list of best practices for the many games lacking these features. With improved awareness, game developers and publishers worldwide could create a new standard for inclusive gaming.

Examples of good audio accessibility in games

The Last of Us Part II from Naughty Dog and PlayStation Studios is a cinematic action game with dozens of accessibility settings and options built into it, many of which are designed for hard-of-hearing gamers. These include a robust subtitle system for all dialogue in the game, combat subtitles to let players know where enemy sounds are coming from, and subtitles that describe sound effects and music, commonly referred to as Closed Captions.

As a game designed for PlayStation consoles, visual directional indicators also use the controller's rumble or vibration to notify players of actions otherwise represented by audio - including jumping, picking up items, and more.

Multiplayer games, including first and third-person shooters, can be especially difficult for hearing-impaired gamers. If another player gets the jump on you, sneaks up from behind, or is running around a corner, they have an immediate advantage for players relying primarily on what they can see on screen. Millions of people of all ages play Fortnite from Epic Games, and it is an excellent example of using visuals to represent audio.

Fortnite allows its players to 'visualize sound effects.' This includes not only displaying colored indicators on screen for sound effects like footsteps and gunfire but also placing them so that the direction and distance are communicated. As in-game chat has become primarily voice-driven in multiplayer games like Fortnite, text-based chat options allow players who are hard of hearing to communicate with others.

Apex Legends from Respawn and EA is another competitive multiplayer game, a battle royale shooter in which audio can be presented visually. It also includes a ping system for those playing as part of a team to highlight objects, enemies, and locations. These will be communicated as quest-style map markers so that team members can be notified of moment-to-moment gameplay, such as the location of loot, without relying on voice chat.

Audio Accessibility Checklist - Things Developers Should Implement

These are all great examples of developers working and engaging with tools to make their games more inclusive. However, there's no single set of guidelines for adding accessibility features to an interactive experience. Looking specifically at deaf gamers or those experiencing hearing loss on a daily basis, the following list of features presents a great jumping-off point to make gaming more inclusive and accessible for people everywhere.

Subtitles and Closed Captions

Subtitles are a common option or feature in several games. However, subtitles as a form of accessibility for players who are hard of hearing extend beyond representing dialogue as text. As seen in other forms of entertainment, like watching a movie on Netflix, Closed Captions expand subtitles to include names, locations, and descriptions of sound effects and music. As games are interactive and dynamic, sound effects and music can also be experienced as vibrations on a controller.

Multiple Communication Options, including Emotes

With high-speed networks and fast-paced multiplayer games, voice chat has become the norm for player-to-player communication. However, having multiple options enhances accessibility. Text chat might be archaic, but it's an invaluable communication tool for hearing-impaired gamers. Building off this, speech-to-text or STT, and the inverse of this, can be a great way to allow players to communicate using both speech and text simultaneously. And with emotes being an easy and dynamic way to react or express something, having these be quickly accessible via something like an emote wheel benefits all players.

Ping Systems for Multiplayer Games

As seen in several multiplayer games, including the aforementioned Apex Legends, a robust Ping System that allows players to highlight objects, other players, or landmarks and send that information to their team is not only an invaluable accessibility option but also an excellent feature that all gamers can benefit from.

Directional Visual Cues

Being able to communicate the direction that a sound is coming from is not only a way to help level the playing field in a multiplayer game. Still, opening up action-heavy single-player games to all players is invaluable. Even for those who are playing without the best speakers or headphones, a visual indicator to let you know that something is behind you or approaching from the left is just great design. Pretty much every shooter uses directional visual clues to indicate the direction of incoming damage, so it should be an option for all games, regardless of genre, where players take damage.

Dynamic Mini Maps and Compasses

Mini maps, full-screen maps, and on-screen compasses can be found in a variety of games covering a wide range of genres. Mini-maps or compasses that can be customized to display certain characters and directional audio, like a firefight breaking out in Call of Duty, are once again beneficial to all. For hearing-impaired gamers relying primarily on sight, the radar-like nature of a good compass or map becomes invaluable.

Environmental and Musical Cues

In games that focus on stealth mechanics or feature sections where players need to remain hidden, indicators over enemy heads or player avatars to represent visibility levels are common. Green, you're hidden. Yellow lets you know NPCs are cautious, and Red indicates that you are spotted.

Often, games play a sound to indicate that a hidden item or object is close by, so it's great when there's an option to represent this visually or via controller vibration. Likewise, games like Horizon Forbidden West that telegraph climbable objects with a coat of yellow paint are as much an accessible tool as they are a way to make navigation easier for all players. For games that rely heavily on music, rhythm, or timed button presses, translating this to vibration opens the door to a more inclusive experience.

Of course, there are more accessibility features and solutions games, and developers can implement to ensure that gaming is as inclusive as possible. The good news is that several games and studios are out there that are focused on how gamers with disabilities can experience the thrills, emotions, and joy of being immersed in a digital world.

Awareness, shared knowledge, and tools, will help spread the word - and ensure that everyone can enjoy one of the most beloved hobbies and pastimes.