Inclusive Gaming: Microsoft provides a framework for accessible gaming and more

Microsoft has confirmed availability A gaming product inclusion framework for everyone It was announced at the Game Developers Conference. The Microsoft Xbox team has been using this framework since 2019 to break down barriers to gaming.

This began even earlier with the introduction of the Xbox Adaptive Controller in 2018, which began development in 2015. Sony followed suit last year with the Access Controller also known as Project Leonardo.

But to make the game more accessible, it's not enough to simply offer a controller. The game should be designed to be inclusive from the ground up so that players are not inadvertently excluded unnecessarily. Of course, complete accessibility is not always possible, but an unobstructed gaming experience is certainly desirable.

The Games for All Product Inclusion Framework aims to aid game development. It includes best practices, but also helps individual communities or cultures. If possible, everyone should feel comfortable while playing.

Microsoft also provides numerous examples of this from its own developments. But some of it sounds a lot like marketing, like easier access to games via Game Pass.

However, Microsoft also points out that this framework is intended to make certain design decisions that development teams are aware of. It's not about making every game barrier-free in one way or another, which simply won't be possible. But it's a matter of making a conscious decision to “open or close the door” depending on the game design.

Sometimes barriers in games are created by mistake because no one thought of them beforehand. Exactly such unnecessary barriers should be reduced.

Travel a lot and always keep technology in your backpack. This is what distinguishes me and sometimes gives me the way to think outside the box. It all started as a Windows and Mac Administrator at a small music company in Anno 2000. This included assembling computers, placing larger orders for business laptops, and occasionally configuring WLAN and LAN for events abroad. In 2005, I worked at golem.de until 2021 and have been editor of Airlines.de since 2017. Topics: Technology, planes and – yes – railways.