Making 'The Kaiyo Mission' accessible to all

Whilst developing video games, accessibility might not be your first thought. After all, some people argue that certain accessibility functions could limit your creative scope. However, here at eXplore Studio we believe that accessibility and inclusivity are key to creating strong video games. Most importantly, ensuring that everyone is able to be included and thought of before constructing a video game is key, rather than including accessibility as an afterthought. This makes it easier to figure out ways of working which are most accessible, as well as the video games themselves. In fact, we have found that accessibility helps everyone benefit from clearer and more effective work.

Accessibility can be challenging, giving how many different needs different kinds of people may have. This is particularly hard with video games. For example, adding loud music to the background of a game could be jarring and overstimulating for some. Equally, for others, this may help them due to hearing difficulties with quieter music. Whilst deciding on accessibility features is not always straightforward, we believe it is better to at least consider and strive to make our work as accessible as possible. Diversity and inclusion overall are a key message of our game, and even the game development team we have, is filled with individual and unique people. We find that this leads to better creativity of thought and helps us generate more imaginative content.

Regarding working with our game development team, we have seen the positive effects of allowing flexibility and being open to accessible ways of working. This is particularly important given the international scope of many of our freelancers. More and more, we see that trusting people to work in ways which are better for themselves leads to better outputs and team spirit. We believe in the strength of an adaptable approach to work and an open passage of communication to all our freelancers.

Specifically for our game The Kaiyo Mission, we also have functions designed to increase accessibility and player experience. You can click the ‘Options’ button and adjust many features including the sound, sound effects, brightness and more. You can even select a colour deficiency mode: protanopia, deuteranopia or tritanopia, and a dyslexia-friendly font is also available. We are always open to feedback on how we could make our game even more inclusive and accessible, so please do reach out if you have any further ways we could improve!

Overall, eXplore Studio is committed to making our games enjoyable for all people, including anyone living with a disability. Though this is a very nuanced and complex topic, we are trying our utmost to create content which can be enjoyable for everyone. We would love to hear your thoughts about this topic and hear any comments on how we can make the game even better for you.