ATwitchstreamer living with ALS has been streaming games using only their eyes as a means to control in-game characters. With games now being built to accommodate the needs of many different types of players, this particularTwitchstreamer demonstrates the importance of such innovation.
In recent years, accessibility has become an important new focus when studios approach developing new games. Studios and developers have begun to realize the importance of making games that a variety of different people are able to play. As a way to make the gaming experience a more inclusive one, recent titles have made great steps toward progress in accessibility, with big-name games likeThe Last of Uswinning awardsfor their innovations. These improvements bring video games to a much larger audience, making the gaming world even richer and more diverse when it comes to players.
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One Twitch streamer known as YvMHawking is showcasing just how incredibly far accessibility in gaming has come with his live gaming broadcasts. Despite having ALS, YvMHawking is able to play games, edit his videos, and even make his own RPGs all with just an eye tracker. There have been a variety of ways gaming companies have worked to create more accessibility with controllers, like the recently announcedaccessible controller by PlayStation, and it’s amazing to see just how versatile an eye tracker can be, whether it’s for gaming or video editing.
At the time of this writing, YvMHawking has a little over ten thousand followers on Twitch, and he regularly streams four times a week. It seems as though YvMHawking’s current game of choice isKnight Online, the MMORPG that was released back in 2004. Withaccessibility options being the new standardfor many big releases, it’s also nice to see that tools like an eye tracker can still make older games operational as well for players who are unable to use a standard controller.
Thankfully, accessibility is finally becoming the expected norm for many game studios and developers. Creating and implementing options that cater to different types of gamers help build a larger gaming community. Video games are meant to be enjoyed for hours on end, and everyone should be able to experience that for themselves. Whetheraccessibility optionsare given at launch or added later on in updates, many studios are now learning how to develop games in a more thoughtful way that helps improve gaming on an even greater scale.
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