US legislation requires new games' communication aspects to be accessible to those with disabilities



The start of 2019 brings about a new change involving future video game releases. In 2010, a law called the Communications and Video Visibility Act was passed in the United States which required media to be accessible to those of varying or disabled capabilities. Since then, the Electronic Software Association, (ESA), has appealed for a waiver that allowed video games to be exempt from this law. However, as of 2019, the waiver has expired, and all video games with development cycles starting in 2019, or pre-existing games with major updates in 2019 must adhere to the CVAA, lest they be fined by the FCC.

  • Games that enter development after this date must be fully compliant.
  • Games already in development after this date but released after it must be as compliant as possible, how far through development the game was at Dec 31st may be taken into account in case of a complaint.
  • Games released before this date that receive substantial updates after it must also be compliant.

Something to note, is that the CVAA does not force all games to cater or tailor their gameplay to those with disabilities, but instead it means that communications aspects within gaming must be accessible. Game chats will need to ensure certain things, with examples such as their in-game chat UI's being readable to those with eyesight issues, or that voice communication is easy to use if it's an option as an alternative to reading chatlogs, or gaming chats having a text-to-speech toggle. This law focuses on the social aspect of gaming, rather than gameplay.

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the_randomizer

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Okay, granted, video games should be more accessible to a wider audience, yes, that's incontrovertibly an issue. BUT, I wouldn't trust the government's involvement any further than I can throw a football.

The goal of a fine isn't to make money, it's to ward off people from breaking that law.

Oh I'm sure it's an ulterior motive for someone, somewhere
 

TheDarkGreninja

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Is that a bad thing?

To some extent I'd agree that it's the good thing the government doesn't meddle with our games but when it comes to issues that can alienate other gamers I think it would be okay to implement laws to support those gamers.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Oh I'm sure it's an ulterior motive for someone, somewhere
Ideally, it isn't. Though I'm sure there are ulterior motives.
 
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To some extent I'd agree that it's the good thing the government doesn't meddle with our games but when it comes to issues that can alienate other gamers I think it would be okay to implement laws to support those gamers.
Those gamers should make themselves heard and the market will change to accomodate a wider customer base. Like I said before, it was already changing. "Color-blind mode" in the Battlefield games is one example I've seen. Many PC games allow extensive customization of the graphics and UI, not necessarily for handicapped gamers, but it does help them too. There are thrid-party and built-in programs for Windows, Mac, and Linix that can help with the communication barriers as well. Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft should be the ones with this burden if anything, now that I mentioned it.
 
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TheDarkGreninja

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Those gamers should make themselves heard and the market will change to accomodate a wider customer base. Like I said before, it was already changing. "Color-blind mode" in the Battlefield games is one example I've seen. Many PC games allow extensive customization of the graphics and UI, not necessarily for handicapped gamers, but it does help them too. There are thrid-party and built-in programs for Windows, Mac, and Linix that can help with the communication barriers as well. Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft should be the ones with this burden if anything, now that I mentioned it.

PC has always been the most accessible platform, I think it's more about making console gaming more accessible.
 

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I mean PC is expensive, but once you're part of that ecosystem the sky is the limit when it comes to how you want to play.
The sky has an overly complicated limit.

Grandpa ain’t gunna learn the complicated technical settings to get things working. A Wii is just plug in play.
 

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Well then, like I said, it should be the big 3's reponsibility, and not the game devs/publishers' lol

It's much easier for the government to make them aware that it's their responsibility rather than the consumer. Though, I guess we should be commending Microsoft for creating the adaptive controller without government intervention.
 
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Dr.Hacknik

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As long as these things are not forced for normal users, that's no issue in my eyes. If anything, allowing it to be toggled just makes it easier for others with disabilities to enjoy the games they love. Although, this seems to only affect online based games with chat systems or games with heavy amounts of dialogue,
 
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Who’s them?

You’re mad. Consoles are more accessible then PC’s. Grandma owns a Wii but not a high tech gaming rig.
Your grandma?

She may show signs of disability and I think I we shoudn´t be laughing our asses off because she can´t use a personal compuer. This is what the government wants somehow. More accessibility.
 
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Your grandma?

She may show signs of disability and I think I we shoudn´t be laughing our asses off because she can´t use a personal compuer. This is what the government wants somehow. More accessibility.
I still don't think it's the government's job. These accessibility features came about because of the free market and wanting to appeal to a broader audience. Gaming was well on its way too.
 
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SG854

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Your grandma?

She may show signs of disability and I think I we shoudn´t be laughing our asses off because she can´t use a personal compuer. This is what the government wants somehow. More accessibility.
Who’s laughing?

You people are retardedly funny. All your panties in a bunch because of accessibility options that don't impact the game itself.
If it doesn’t impact the game itself then why implement it at all. It’s a waste of time.
 

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Well it's because it is government interference in the free market. There are several reasons that I'm upset by this:
  1. Video games have been a self-regulated industry for a long time now, and seeing government overstep their bounds yet again in the name of "charity" is saddening. If a business wants to expand the customer base, they would add these features on their own, and many already do. Plus, with it being required, most will just do the bare minimum to skirt around the law and it won't help anyone that much.
  2. A minor inconvenience at best for the large publishers, this will hurt indies who wish to include online features in their games. Just another barrier of entry favoring big business over small. Many indie games will now not include any online communication or any online features at all because they may not have the manpower, time, money, or legal counsel to ensure that they are following all regulations. This is similar to the way the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) hurts small businesses and provides a disincentive to competing with the big guys. If anyone's seen Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, they have an episode all about that which mirrors my thoughts on the subject.
  3. While I'm all for regulation that actually protects workers and consumers from shady business practices, this is not one of those. This is an attempt to make charity a compelled act, rather than an axtual charitable one. Hell, as we've seen with EA and the Belgian authorities, many of the large publishers may just find it more cost-effective to just pay the fines instead of implementing or removing features. So in reality, it's just government racketeering in the guise of good will towards man.
If respecting basic human rights isn't profitable, companies won't care about them. assuming giving people what they want will always result in more profit is the worst kind of logical fallacy. businesses are amoral, and it is the work of government to ensure our rights, in a reasonable manner, are not restricted or violated by those more powerful.

in this case, it's making sure the minority of those who have certain disabilities are not excluded due to profit. accessibility should not be seen as a gift, but a requirement of thoughtful planning. I guarantee you software like unity will have assets that make this process easier. it won't be a huge deal to developers, just a bit more work, and will open themselves up to a wider audience.

and i love their old show...when it stuck to facts and logic. anytime they talked about business or taxes, they just use their own opinions instead of facts or logic. their taxes episode is completely full of bias, logical fallacies, and intentionally incomplete information. it was really painful to watch.

Who’s laughing?

If it doesn’t impact the game itself then why implement it at all. It’s a waste of time.

impact the game for you. but it could make the game playable for a huge audience.
 
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You people are retardedly funny. All your panties in a bunch because of accessibility options that don't impact the game itself.

I once saw a guy crawl entirely into his own asshole trying to convince folks colorblind modes on games were stealing content from non-colorblind gamers everywhere-- basically, if the devs spent even five minutes adding some code to make sure everyone was able to play, it was denying him five minutes of coding to develop new content he wanted. Some folks can have a real toxic attitude when something's not for them. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 

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They may have to built these or at least some of these options into console settings, to make it easier on developers.
GOOD! Maybe now, developers will STOP making games with small ass text. Just because a game is developed with a PC using a monitor does NOT mean that everyone is using a monitor to play a game. Even with PC gaming, I'm a couch gamer. This nonsense of small text needs to go.
They could still do this by default.

Im pretty sure this law is a good thing. Fairly certain it mandates that it makes switch communication illegal going forward as the mike to phone to switch bullcrap is 100% not compliant
The phone app has to have accessibility options, I don't see this changing the way the phone app works overall.

Hell, as we've seen with EA and the Belgian authorities, many of the large publishers may just find it more cost-effective to just pay the fines instead of implementing or removing features.
Source?

Besides that, it is still making companies either change or pull their games, like DX2.
 

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If respecting basic human rights isn't profitable, companies won't care about them. assuming giving people what they want will always result in more profit is the worst kind of logical fallacy. businesses are amoral, and it is the work of government to ensure our rights, in a reasonable manner, are not restricted or violated by those more powerful.

in this case, it's making sure the minority of those who have certain disabilities are not excluded due to profit. accessibility should not be seen as a gift, but a requirement of thoughtful planning. I guarantee you software like unity will have assets that make this process easier. it won't be a huge deal to developers, just a bit more work, and will open themselves up to a wider audience.

and i love their old show...when it stuck to facts and logic. anytime they talked about business or taxes, they just use their own opinions instead of facts or logic. their taxes episode is completely full of bias, logical fallacies, and intentionally incomplete information. it was really painful to watch.



impact the game for you. but it could make the game playable for a huge audience.
Why should devolopers care about opening to a wider disabled audience. There is no profit to be made.
 

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