I had a director once (at a studio where I was public about my disability) tell me offhand in a performance conversation that, despite my high work output, everything getting done and my commitment to what we were making, I needed to be ‘more consistent’. When I started in games, I was particularly curious about accessibility on the studio side – many don’t feel safe enough to even reveal they have accessibility needs, in case it has an impact on their likelihood of hire or retainment as an employee. Read: How inclusive design in video games benefits everyone

Often, people like to argue with people otherwise uninterested that the reason to implement accessibility options is it “sells” – after all, a 2019 report showed 95% of people played Assassins Creed Odyssey with subtitles on, which is far higher than the percentage of people likely to have hearing issues. The focus of accessibility tends to generally be on players – in-game options that allow them to tune visuals, audio, difficulty and more to provide them with better access to playing the game the way they want and/or need to. So how do we make games, both playing and the process of creating them, better for players and developers? In the video game industry, accessibility has many argued definitions from many different people, but to me, the core of accessibility is about providing options and information to people that allows them greater access to their goals – whatever they may be. It changed the way I looked at games and, with time, I’ve made a lot of peace with my disability and even learned to love it as a key part of who I am.

This disability changed the way I considered my life, my health, my work, and what I needed from the world and people I work with. I’ve had a condition called fibromyalgia for almost 10 years.

When I was bedridden with fatigue, video games were my lifeline – being able to get out of the body that was presently rebelling against me and into a story or life of someone else was lifesaving.

Good gifts for bedridden games gambling