How a legally blind gamer helped make God of War: Ragnarok more accessible

AT this year’s The Game Awards ceremony, God of War: Ragnarok received multiple wins.

But it might be the Innovation in Accessibility award that God of War: Ragnarok goes on to be most remembered for, and it’s partially thanks to a gamer named Ben, also known as SightlessKombat. 

Sony Santa MonicaGod of War features incredible graphics and performance capture.[/caption]

As reported by Sky News, SightlessKombat worked with God of War: Ragnarok developers Sony Santa Monica on the accessibility features that won it the award.

Ben has been playing games for years and was able to play God of War (2018) with “sighted assistance,” meaning someone that could see the game would have to help with instructions.

Streams of Ben’s gameplay came to Sony Santa Monica’s attention, they asked him for a demonstration of how he plays games, and consulted him on what features would allow him to play a game unassisted.

Ben was included in the game’s credits as proof of his involvement.

Accessibility features include text-to-speech functions for menus, audio descriptions for environments and gameplay, and functions to make certain repetitive tasks easier.

Other Sony-published titles, such as The Last of Us Part II, have also seen similar accessibility options included, and have been similarly well received.

Ben is the accessible gaming officer at the Royal National Institute of Blind People, and hopes to raise awareness of the importance of these features in the future.

Ben says: “There is still much to be done.”

Written by Dave Aubrey on behalf of GLHF.

 

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