The Game Awards Make Another Stride Towards Making the Show Accessible
Have you heard us talk about the Game Awards yet? Hmm, maybe not. Well, in case you haven’t heard the Game Awards are coming up in just a few short days and we have been keeping up on all the latest updates surrounding the show. Now, we have another one!
The Game Awards will offer a special audio descriptive livestream on their YouTube channel. This is a great option for viewers with visual impairments to be able to get the most out of watching the show. The Game Awards Executive Producer and Host, Geoff Keighley, made the announcement on his twitter account earlier today.
“I’m happy to confirm that #TheGameAwards will have a special audio descriptive mode livestream on @YouTubeGamingfor the first time.
Accessibility matters.”
I’m happy to confirm that #TheGameAwards will have a special audio descriptive mode livestream on @YouTubeGaming for the first time.
Accessibility matters.
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) December 5, 2020
Keighley ended his tweet with the line “Accessibility matters” and that is something that the gaming industry forgets far too often. This year has been great for video game accessibility and its advocates. Earlier this year the Game Awards announced that they would be including a brand new category titled “Innovation in Accessibility” as part of this year’s award show. The category is described as “recognizing software and/or hardware that is pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology and content to help games be played and enjoyed by an even wider audience.” The category nominees include titles such as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs Legions, and The Last of Us: II which has introduced over 60 different accessibility features.
We also got to watch the inaugural Video Game Accessibility Awards last month. The show was made in a collaboration between the AbleGamers Charity and Content Creator of the Year nominee, Alanah Pearce.