Gaming has never been more popular and gamers have never been more diverse. People from all walks of life and from all over the world play video games, and not all of them have the same physical abilities. That’s why ensuring the widest pool of players were able to participate in the experience was a critical component of Diablo IV’s design from the very beginning.
Prioritizing accessibility was non-negotiable, but that doesn’t mean it was a simple process. Thoughtful implementation required institutional support all the way up to the C level to ensure features such as screen reader functionality, text to speech, audio design, and cursor size and color were properly implemented.
Highlighting these significant efforts was yet another way to draw attention to the importance of accessibility in game design. That’s why we created a documentary to highlight our players’ stories, told in their own words, of how being able to enjoy Diablo has impacted their lives for the better, and how player choice improves gaming for all.
There were multiple goals outlined when commencing this project, including raising awareness about the critical importance of inclusive game design, highlighting methodology and player experience in the hopes of strengthening future efforts, and raising awareness and excitement for Diablo IV.
The project was a resounding success, but required enormous effort from many dedicated people.
From the beginning, we knew the best method for articulating these important perspectives was to let the players and developers most impacted tell their own stories.
The outreach began a few months before filming with a look inward. We learned that our lead Accessibility Designer is an active member of a Discord group with blind members created by Ross Minor. From there, we contacted three other well known players in the Diablo community to speak to the importance of adapting gameplay for those with visual impairments.
The next step was finding the right Blizzard developers to speak to. An obvious choice was Drew McCrory, Lead Accessibility Designer, who was instrumental in implementing Diablo IV’s current accessibility features along with the many more coming.
Creating the Screen Reader was a massive undertaking, so we made sure to speak with Jonathan Lawrence, Senior Software Engineer. We also wanted to hear from Brock Davis, a Blizzard test analyst who has dedicated his life to advocating for accessibility and whose personal experience make his perspective an incredibly valuable one.
Another critical element in developing a game is testing. Blizzard’s user research team gave us a unique perspective into delivering a game with verifiably functioning accessibility features. The phrase, “never about us, without us,” was an anchor throughout the development process. The testing team was critical in ensuring that value was consistently prioritized.
The finished documentary achieved all the goals we set out for ourselves and more. By highlighting the many valuable perspectives of those in the gaming community with personal stakes and extensive expertise in accessibility, we were able to shine a light on these important efforts and do our part to bring the industry closer to where it needs to be.
Reactions to the documentary, and the substantial company-wide efforts it represents, were overwhelmingly positive.
By far the most important result was the response from the accessibility community. YouTube comments such as, “Low vision/Vi gamer here. This video made me cry happy tears…” made it clear our ongoing efforts around inclusivity and accessibility are having a very real impact where it matters most.
