Games Accessibility Hub

Currently at the Montreal International Games Summit (#MIGS) organized by La Guilde du jeu vidéo du Québec , with the Atlangames delegation

✈️ Délégation Atlangames au #Québec 13 professionnel·les du réseau Atlangames sont arrivé·es au #Québec hier pour prendre part à notre délégation : 🔹 Olivier Nourry de Games Accessibility Hub 🔹 Gaspard Marcel et Anthony COULAIS ✔️ de Genius Gambler 🔹 David "Blackmagic" Elahee d'HEADBANG CLUB 🔹 Marcie Sitouze, artiste 3D freelance 🔹 Jonathan BURON et Simone Buron de Ouebsson 🔹 Pierrick Veillerobe, compositeur/audio designer freelance 🔹 Betty "Evanhel" Lenormand de Pixelated Yarns 🔹 Marin Le Beuve 🔜 MIGS et Jean Minot de Rivrs 🔹 Théophile Noiré de Triskell Interactive 🔹 Paul Mozet de WILD WITS GAMES ainsi que notre Délégué Général, Louis Ernenwein, qui représentera l'association, ses membres et leurs projets 🎮 -- Au programme de la semaine : 🔸 rencontre de l'écosystème jeu vidéo à #Québec et #Montréal : visites de studios, temps d'échanges pour tisser et renforcer les liens entre acteur·ices de l'industrie 🔸 participation au salon professionnel MIGS afin de trouver des #partenaires pour leurs projets et faire valoir la richesse de leurs #compétences ! -- Vous participez au MIGS 2024 et souhaitez en profiter pour les rencontrer ? Rendez-vous sur leur page #MeetToMatch ⤵️ 🔸 Games Accessibility Hub 👉 https://bit.ly/3YGwXpK 🔸 Genius Gambler 👉 https://bit.ly/3Ah4vBp 🔸 HEADBANG CLUB 👉 https://bit.ly/4fiW87k 🔸 Marcie Sitouze 👉 https://bit.ly/3NHMwaA 🔸 Ouebsson 👉 https://bit.ly/40kEyeO 🔸 Pierrick Veillerobe 👉 https://bit.ly/3UoEXJm 🔸 Betty "Evanhel" Lenormand 👉 https://bit.ly/3AfmlEZ 🔸 Rivrs 👉 https://bit.ly/3A5wBjf 🔸 Triskell Interactive 👉 https://bit.ly/3UqtdGC 🔸 WILD WITS GAMES 👉 https://bit.ly/40j0OFV -- Merci à La Guilde du jeu vidéo du Québec, Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères, Office franco-québécois pour la jeunesse (OFQJ), Nantes Métropole, Rennes Ville et Métropole qui rendent possible cette délégation !

🎮 [FR] Fin juillet nous avons eu le plaisir de répondre aux questions de Léo Mercier-Ross sur l'#accessibilité dans l'industrie du jeux vidéo 🤗 Retrouvez cet article dans lequel figurent également quelques grands noms de l'accessibilité vidéoludique David Tisserand d'Ubisoft, Vincent Presseau de Carcajou Games, Frederic McNamara de Shishi Studios ou encore Etienne Beaulieu de Panache Digital Games. C'est toujours un grand plaisir de parler de ce sujet passionnant et pas si compliqué à mettre en place ! 🎮[EN] At the end of July, we had the pleasure of answering Léo Mercier-Ross' questions about #accessibility in the video game industry 🤗 Check out this article, which also features some big names of the industry, including David Tisserand from Ubisoft, Vincent Presseau from Carcajou Games, Frederic McNamara from Shishi Studios, and Etienne Beaulieu from Panache Digital Games. It's always a great pleasure to talk about this fascinating topic, which isn't that complicated to implement!

We will be at the MIGS24! The Montreal International Games Summit is a major B2B event that will gather 300 orgs and video game professionals from all around the World. We'll be part of the French delegation set up by Atlangames, our regional cluster. Seize this oppotunity to connect with us over there, through Olivier Nourry, our Chief Accessibility Officer and co-founder. He will answer all the questions you could have about games accessibility and our services around it. (Note: he is easily bribable with maple syrup, so save some for him) #Videogames #Accessibility #Gamedev

We are delighted to have contributed to this project! The accessibilty report is in the comments 👇

🎮 When you build something for people with disabilities, remember this golden rule: “Nothing for us without us”. It commands that you involve players with disabilities in the process of making your games more accessible. It is absolutely necessary to get the perspectives and insights of people with lived experiences of disabilities, to inform your decisions and validate your ideas, before you build, and to verify your assumptions all along the process and post launch. Here are a few tips to this end. 1. Reach out There are plenty of groups and channels on social networks where you can meet and interact with players with disabilities. You can also probe your own communities: statistically, 15-20% of their members have some form of disability. Encourage respectful and safe dialogue and feedback. You’ll find that many players are willing to participate! 2. Get help Interacting with your player base is key; but you may also need more structured and accurate feedback. Organizations like Easy Surf, PlayAbility, or Games Accessibility Nexus, among others, can connect you with seasoned consultants with disabilities who’ll provide professional-level testing and advice. 3. Communicate early Highly awaited titles foster conversations and expectations, and prospective players can become very passionate about them. But when there’s no information about their accessibility early on, players with disabilities feel excluded from the hype, and must temper their enthusiasm. Share early, as clearly and broadly as possible, to avoid frustration and resentment. 4. Hold to your word In the field of accessibility, disappointment is exacerbated by the fact that, too often, great discourses are not followed by acts, or only partly. Setting expectations that are not met will frustrate your audience, and be perceived as yet another false promise, made only to get the good favors of these communities. 5. Be upfront Your efforts are commendable, no doubt. But be realistic about the actual results. Don’t oversell the accessibility of your game, and be transparent about its shortcomings. Both for your finances and your image, a missed sale is much more preferable than one that ends up in a refund because the game is not playable with certain disabilities. Your honesty will earn you respect and trust, and set a favorable ground for future releases. 6. Get feedback No matter how hard you try, there’s still room for improvement. It’s important to understand that accessibility is a journey, not a destination. And you can always use all the information you can get from people who play your games. Open communication channels that are easy to find and to use. For example, like Electronic Arts, Warner bros, Whitethorn Games, or more recently, Focus Entertainment for Space Marines 2, explicitly provide an email address for accessibility feedback. Interaction with players with disabilities can be very rewarding if done well. Don’t miss this opportunity to shine!

Our co-founder, Olivier Nourry, had the honor and pleasure to participate to a panel at the #BGGOnlineSummit, hosted by Deja Kirk. Laura Kate Dale, Steven Spohn and Olivier discussed about why making games more accessible for every player is crucial, and how to make it real for all types of games and sizes of projects. Watch the replay here: https://lnkd.in/dEugpK9q Huge thanks to Black Girl Gamers for the invitation, and congrats for the flawless organization! #accessibility #gaming #accessibleGaming

Today I have the honor of moderating the Accessibility Beyond The Screen panel for the #BGGOnlineSummit with Laura Kate Dale , Steven Spohn , and Olivier Nourry. We'll be discussing ways that game studios can enhance their approach to accessibility! Happy to represent as a member of Black Girl Gamers 🙌🏾

If you have watched the Olympic Games opening ceremony, you have probably noticed a hooded figure, running and jumping over the roofs of Paris, bearing the torch. And if you have even the faintest interest in gaming, you have recognized the main protagonist from Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Unity. This episode of the iconic franchise is set in Paris during the French Revolution, and it was very fitting with the spectacular tableau where the French band Gojira literally set the Conciergerie on fire with their powerful death metal music. It was a tribute to one of the most renowned and beloved video games franchises, that has sold well over 200 million copies since its first installment in 2007. Ubisoft is by far the largest French video game company, that heavily contributes to pop culture and promotes France’s know-how in the realm of video games. The Assassin’s Creed games display rich universes inspired by historical settings, are technically and artistically impressive, and fun to play. But did you know that they are also very accessible? Through the impulsion of David Tisserand, Director of Accessibility, Ubisoft has honed their skills along the years, and each major new production builds on top of its predecessors, bringing even more accessibility to a faithful player base. That’s why the latest released opus, Mirage, is the most accessible to date, until the next one, Shadows, that will be released in November this year. Along advanced subtitles features, menus and in-game narration, fully customizable controls, navigational and aiming assist, all done excellently, the player can rely on Enkidu, an eagle that will provide Eagle Vision, through which hidden items can be revealed, and characters be highlighted, helping both from a difficulty and a visual accessibility standpoint. Moreover, Ubisoft also paves the way in terms of communication towards players with disabilities. Information about accessibility of future games is published well before launch. Disabled content creators receive copies for reviews at the same time as their non-disabled peers. Trailers are captioned and audiodescribed – actually Ubisoft was the first to use the additional sound track in Youtube for this purpose. And at showcases and events, communications and exhibition stands are made accessible to a large range of fans. Bravo Ubisoft, and thanks for your leadership and commitment towards accessibility!

Recently, the game accessibility community lost one of its legends. Brandon Cole passed away three weeks ago, and although we didn’t have the privilege of knowing him directly, we are of course very aware of, and grateful for, his legacy and impact on the field. For this week’s post, we wanted to pay a tribute to someone who is unequivocally described as both a great human and a great professional, by evocating one of his most striking contributions. Developed by Turn 10 Studios, published by Xbox Game Studios Publishing, Forza Motorsport does what used to be regarded as impossible, for a AAA racing simulation: be entirely playable by someone with no sight, without human assistance. Brandon amply contributed to this feat, as the video below shows. The team had to invent a sophisticated and highly customizable system of audio guidance, based on alerts and smart use of engine sounds, completed with voice descriptions. No wonder that Forza Motorsport won the “Innovation in Accessibility” trophy at the latest Game Awards ceremony. At the time of the making, it was already moving to see how the hard work by both Brandon and the team started to pay off, allowing him to drive with full autonomy, completing laps, racing against AI opponents, and feeling the deep joy and satisfaction it fostered. Of course it takes a whole new dimension now. Thank you, Brandon. The whole accessible gaming community owes you so much. https://lnkd.in/envirdVt #gamedev #gaming #userexperience