Michael Espinoza Talks Accessibility in Gaming

At South by Southwest (SXSW) 2019, there were a number of panels focussed on accessibility in varying sectors of life, all of which were transcribed in real time with the Android and iOS app called Thisten. During the Gaming portion of the festival, I got the chance to attend the panel entitled “Austin’s Blind Gaming Champ Shares His Amazing Story.” Here, we listened to Austinite, content creator, musician, and gamer Michael Espinoza (SightlessSenshi) tell his story of coming into gaming and the importance of accessibility.

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Born blind, Espinoza explained why he became a gamer. A voracious reader since childhood, Espinoza enjoyed going into new worlds. When it came to games, he would use sound to complete tasks, levels, and especially failures at clearing certain areas as a way to progress. In fact, it was this trial and error and level of difficulty that drew him to games. Always looking to challenge himself, when he got his first console, he was in love with gaming and the ability to be looked by his skill and not his blindness. This is what brought him to multiplayer gaming.

One of the questions that Espinoza explained he is asked every time he talks about being a blind gamer is: But how do you play video games if your blind? His answer, sound tracking. The main focus of the panel was his on his experience playing fighters competitively, both online and in person. Out of the genre, Espinoza talked at length about is NetherRealm Studios’ Mortal Kombat franchise. By focusing on this game, Espinoza explained what features make a game accessible for blind to gamers.

With games like Mortal Kombat, he explained how dynamic sound design not only improves game play for sighted gamers, but allows him to play games he wouldn’t be able to play otherwise. With this fighter, Espinoza explained some features that work in Mortal Kombat to provide a play experience where he can play competitively.

Below is a list of some of those features:

Unique sounds for each character on the selection screen coupled with audible names when you select the fighter
Directional sound, both on the right and left side of the screen for character selection and in play
Footsteps and movement sounds that are specific to characters
Additional pings and beeps specifically made for accessibility
A chime to alert player when they have one more hit left on their life bar, with different sounds for player and opponent

To bring his point home, Espinoza explained that the last of these features was actually developed for competitive play but became a way for blind gamers to play. Outside of Mortal Kombat specifically, Espinoza explains how he has a slight advantage in fighters because he can internalize the gameplay. By not leaning on character movements by sight, his reaction time is almost an instantaneous reaction. This scientific fact, that sound reaction is quicker than sighted reaction, means that internalizing movements and using sound tracking is something even sighted pro players do given the heavy importance of reaction time in the game-type. In fact, he explained that top Street Fighter players have even competed blindfolded (featured below).

Michael Espinoza made it clear that companies gain an entire community when they include accessibility options. He also explained that some games are just designed so well, that they are accessible without meaning to be, in that the features are not add-ons that you need to turn on. For him, he explained that Bioware RPGs like Dragon Age are inadvertently accessible because of a simple feature: auto-locking. By being able to auto-lock onto items and areas, it makes gameplay and mobility through the environment accessible for blind gamers.

But not every game is playable by blind gamers or those with other disabilities. So, in that case, Michael Espinoza explained how he has created lines of communication with game developers and publishers. To Espinoza, the main way to create this channel is social media interaction with companies’ YouTube channels, twitter, and so worth. For him, simply commenting or tagging developers in a diplomatic and open way, while leading with your position as a disabled gamer will open doors.

For Espinoza, this type of approach is important since accessibility helps everyone and his belief that companies and developers want their games to be playable by everyone. In fact, this type of interaction led to Soul Caliber learning about the importance of stereo sound, which helps with hearing directional movement of characters. Beyond that, this also led him to interact with a game called Fantasy Strike, which aimed to put accessibility at the forefront of their game development. He was brought in to consult on the importance of sound with the lead sound designer of the game after, which directly led to unique footstep sounds and super meter chimes being added to the game. Not only does he suggest for other disabled gamers to reach out to companies for new games, but also for old games, noting that patches and updates allow for the new inclusions of accessibility options.

Espinoza’s talk was informative and changed how I thought about gaming as an experience in my position as a sighted gamer. Because of this, I asked a question during the Q&A portion, about how websites can ensure that their reviews of video games can note features that able-bodied and sighted players think are inconsequential but are important to disabled gamers.

To this Michael Espinoza responded, that for blind gamers: spoken dialogue (not just printed text like many JRPGS feature), reliance on movement in things like a menu, the amount and type of movement required by the player in the game, stereo sound, positional audio, and the difficulty level of the the environment are all important features to note. Beyond what features needed for blind players, Espinoza also commented on the importance of subtitles that describe position and environment as important.

After leaving the talk, I had a better sense of the importance of accessibility features and the ease with which companies can make their games playable by more gamers. Espinoza pointed out the great things about gaming that all gamers love, the challenge, the competition – even if it’s against yourself – and ultimately the feeling of community that comes when you talk and play with others.

If you would like to watch the talk in its entirety you can find it here and here on Espinoza’s YouTube channel.