Article about games letting down people with disabilities

[Doggie.3184]

Honestly Anet is very into bright flashing lights and colors more than any other MMO I've played so yeah it's pretty annoying.

It's why I hated Aurene's legendary weapons so much that do a flash-bang grenade explosion when drawn, but majority of the community seems to not care.

 

[Nefertitu.9214]

I did have a friend (from another country) who played GW2 religiously, and now has had to stop because some of the professions were as she put it 'too flashy' she meant that the flashes caused by certain weapons and skills sometimes both set her epilepsy off, so as a result has now had to stop playing GW2 all together. (which is a shame)

 

Personally i think GW2 should implement some sort of adjustment mechanism into the game to reduce sufferers not wanting to play because they too suffer from either epilepsy or are extremely sensitive to light (which i suffer from, but i don't have epilepsy). I have Fibromyalgia, and one of the biggest symptoms is sensitivity to light.

Yes i do know you can turn down the graphics in the settings, but this does not solve the issues it makes the game vertually impossible to play for some.

 

And also give other players an option to utilize a colour correctness option for players who are colour blind too ( sorry for mentioing another game, it's for reference purposes)  like Black Desert have a option to change the game graphics to suit players who have colour blindness problems, so they too can enjoy playing a game they love.

 

Implement some sort of adjustment so that it becomes more acceptable and be a more comfortable level for each player, please consider these thoughts/ideas for future gaming Anet and thank you for continuing to be my Favourite game  🤩

Edited December 7, 2021 by deesbaby.8726

[Nefertitu.9214]

On 12/5/2021 at 4:28 AM, tclark.8956 said:

    

This is something you'll only ever hear from someone who isn't having any problems themselves, and is completely incapable of understanding what other people go through in order to try and play games.    

     

When I first got into the playing the game, it was a time when both my wife and I left WoW to find something else. I stayed because I love this game; my wife tried it, and was unable to play because the combination of lights and something with the movement gives her extreme motion sickness. She's far from the only one who's had this problem with the game, and there's posts about it from the time that GW2 initially launched, but there aren't any real solutions to it. It hasn't really been addressed at any point.    

     

Of course she's been let down by the inability to address that problem with the game; it's a disservice to anyone who's had the same issue that it has gone unaddressed all these years, and it's disappointing to me because the person that I'd like to be enjoying the game with can't play it. It could be an issue of being unable to track down the exact cause of the issue, or that the budget doesn't support trying to address it for affected players, but this is virtually no different than a game breaking bug for the people affected and it shows a lack of empathy by certain people posting here to not even make a base effort to understand what they're going through.    

    

I have Parkinson's. Games that require fast button mashing are virtually impossible for me to play; I can't physically do it. There's a really simple fix that can be implemented for that problem, such as press and hold to complete those sequences; some developers choose to do it, and others don't.  I guess I don't buy that companies who choose to do nothing shouldn't be called out it.    

      

Try for just a second to put yourself in others' shoes and maybe you'll understand.

 

Couldn't have put it better myself, those who don't suffer will never understand the difficulties/challenges some players face or they don't want to.

[Zera.9435]

Honest question here without trying to be condescending, but why would a person who is prone to epileptic seizures be playing games known to have flashing lights and such? I'm sure there are many other enjoyable games out there that are less risky for such people. This  seems like intentional self harm to me.

I'm all for inclusion of as many players as possible, but to suggest that ArenaNet is somehow in the wrong for making this game visually stylized and flashy feels wrong to me. This feels like being upset that you can't turn down the sun because it is really bright and can cause sunburns with prolonged exposure.

Again, not trying to be rude, I just genuinely don't understand why such people would put themselves at risk for a game? I like GW2 as well, but I sure wouldn't be playing it if I were prone to such seizures. I'd play other games that aren't as potentially harmful. Some games even have warnings included.

[ArchonWing.9480]

I mean, accessibility options  can be useful for everyone (like larger or different font texts). More customization is always welcome.

And you don't need to have a disability or whatnot to not like visual noise. There are many times in zerg fights where I am like "wtf is even happening?" It's a fast paced game and visual clarity is a good thing.

It's kinda funny how the game looks better and becomes more playable with say, postprocessing turned low/off.

Also, have effect lod ON, melee attack assist to off, and turn off that camera shake.

[AgentMoore.9453]

9 hours ago, Zera Allimatti.2541 said:

Honest question here without trying to be condescending, but why would a person who is prone to epileptic seizures be playing games known to have flashing lights and such?

There are numerous reasons for this, and the question isn't at all offensive if you genuinely want to know, so I'm glad you asked. There are probably more explanations than this, but these are the first that spring to mind:

1.) A lot of things were different at launch. For one, the visual noise was much lower (still present, but lower). It was confined to certain bosses/activities/instances and so it was much easier to avoid/predict flashes and other visual intensity and enjoy your preferred MMO without disruption.

This changed over time. New effects, player attacks, infusions, particle cosmetics, dyeable mounts, AoE tells (some the same color for enemies as for allies), novelties, adjustments to old effects, and other noise continued piling in with plenty of outcry from players throughout. And while these things kept being added, next to nothing was added to settings that would help players compensate. By this point, if you were someone who had been playing for a while, possibly with thousands of hours (or dollars) in your account, would it seem more cost effective to walk away from GuildWars2, or stay and do your best to avoid visual triggers while advocating for changes?

2.) Gamers with disabilities are still gamers. Despite the risks, there may be some areas of the game that are perfectly safe and enjoyable for people with visual and auditory ailments. In some cases, more of the game would be safer for them if adjustments were made to player settings, and I can't think of a reason why someone wouldn't want to play more of a game they enjoy. It's the same reason people with lactose intolerance occasionally throw caution to the wind for the love of ice cream - it doesn't mean they're stupid or attempting to self-harm, they just like the good stuff same as anyone else.

3.) Friends & Family. I almost called this point 'peer pressure', but that's not quite what it is. It's a natural phenomenon to want to engage in the same activities as your friends, so if your herd has recently emigrated from one MMO and landed in GW2, there's a natural inclination to want to join in. In these cases, people with limitations might understandably follow their people to Tyria, even with the risks involved.

4.) Style shouldn't matter. GW2 is marketed as an MMORPG, which for most people means roleplaying game with lots of people in. Nothing about this screams 'flashing lights simulator' to me the way 'DDR: Online' might. Nothing about the world of Tyria necessitates that everything be glowing or blinking all the time, and so requests to control some of that in settings seem like a fair ask, and not even just for health reasons. People with severe aversions to the glitz and glitter may love the world and genre otherwise.

And lastly - this isn't really in response to your question, I just wanted to add it - people want to keep playing GuildWars2 and are looking for ways to do so more comfortably/safely within the limitations of what's reasonable. Whether they're looking for solutions to health-related problems, personal preference, gameplay efficiency, or some other motive, they are all hoping to make the game 'better' in some way. And while some players may feel 'let down' when calls for things like this have gone unanswered for so long, no one has a gun to ArenaNet's head when suggestions like these are made/repeated, they are simply requests.

[Faridah.8431]

Yeah I played with someone who couldn't see the red circles due to a color blindness condition. No way to change them. The orange circles worked better, but still plenty of the red.

[Nefertitu.9214]

On 12/8/2021 at 5:39 PM, AgentMoore.9453 said:

There are numerous reasons for this, and the question isn't at all offensive if you genuinely want to know, so I'm glad you asked. There are probably more explanations than this, but these are the first that spring to mind:

1.) A lot of things were different at launch. For one, the visual noise was much lower (still present, but lower). It was confined to certain bosses/activities/instances and so it was much easier to avoid/predict flashes and other visual intensity and enjoy your preferred MMO without disruption.

This changed over time. New effects, player attacks, infusions, particle cosmetics, dyeable mounts, AoE tells (some the same color for enemies as for allies), novelties, adjustments to old effects, and other noise continued piling in with plenty of outcry from players throughout. And while these things kept being added, next to nothing was added to settings that would help players compensate. By this point, if you were someone who had been playing for a while, possibly with thousands of hours (or dollars) in your account, would it seem more cost effective to walk away from GuildWars2, or stay and do your best to avoid visual triggers while advocating for changes?

2.) Gamers with disabilities are still gamers. Despite the risks, there may be some areas of the game that are perfectly safe and enjoyable for people with visual and auditory ailments. In some cases, more of the game would be safer for them if adjustments were made to player settings, and I can't think of a reason why someone wouldn't want to play more of a game they enjoy. It's the same reason people with lactose intolerance occasionally throw caution to the wind for the love of ice cream - it doesn't mean they're stupid or attempting to self-harm, they just like the good stuff same as anyone else.

3.) Friends & Family. I almost called this point 'peer pressure', but that's not quite what it is. It's a natural phenomenon to want to engage in the same activities as your friends, so if your herd has recently emigrated from one MMO and landed in GW2, there's a natural inclination to want to join in. In these cases, people with limitations might understandably follow their people to Tyria, even with the risks involved.

4.) Style shouldn't matter. GW2 is marketed as an MMORPG, which for most people means roleplaying game with lots of people in. Nothing about this screams 'flashing lights simulator' to me the way 'DDR: Online' might. Nothing about the world of Tyria necessitates that everything be glowing or blinking all the time, and so requests to control some of that in settings seem like a fair ask, and not even just for health reasons. People with severe aversions to the glitz and glitter may love the world and genre otherwise.

And lastly - this isn't really in response to your question, I just wanted to add it - people want to keep playing GuildWars2 and are looking for ways to do so more comfortably/safely within the limitations of what's reasonable. Whether they're looking for solutions to health-related problems, personal preference, gameplay efficiency, or some other motive, they are all hoping to make the game 'better' in some way. And while some players may feel 'let down' when calls for things like this have gone unanswered for so long, no one has a gun to ArenaNet's head when suggestions like these are made/repeated, they are simply requests.

 

Perfectly put on all points and at the end of the day YES we're ALL GAMERS

[Nea.5936]

I think that games should provide an option in graphics settings to disable flashing lights.

Like a "comfort mode".  The new game Lost Ark got such option and its good.

But "letting people down" is a wording which I consider as "too much".

Nobody is "let down" cause this here is just electronic entertainment nobody needs to survive or so.

[Coyote.2460]

On 12/3/2021 at 5:48 AM, BlueJin.4127 said:

. . . Activating a Vista causes the whole screen to flash white. . . .

Even as someone who's not disabled, these Vistas are intense, flashy, and unnecessary. They could simply replace it with a brief fade to black or some other effect or even just a simple jump-cut. You can be traversing through a dark dimly lit part of a zone when suddenly your screen flashes white and it just completely takes your mind out of the game with how jarringly bright it is. 
Not only is it important to improve accessibility and reduce health risks for the disabled, if ANET adjusted GW2 to be less garishly bright or at least configurable to prevent such transitions and effects it would be better for everyone.

[Funky.4861]

7 hours ago, Coyote.2460 said:

Even as someone who's not disabled, these Vistas are intense, flashy, and unnecessary. They could simply replace it with a brief fade to black or some other effect or even just a simple jump-cut.

I completely agree; after a vista i either look away or close my eyes for a few seconds until the brightness is gone. Also, having to change the game resolution from windowed fullscreen to 1980x1120 in order to increase the gamma for the 'Eyes' minibosses of the pre-Dhuum encounter just to be able to see the kitten walls is frustrating (i have a night mode app running and the sudden colour shift is something i have to deal with that my other guildmates don't).

[Alva.4590]

It is 2022 now and this is exactly why I quit the game nearly 2 years ago. 
I have autism and this is the first game to cause me to meltdown. 
To some extend I can take flashy effects. Vistas, mounts etc have never been a problem. 
But they add more and more shiny, flashy accessoires, clothes and so on. 
I tried the new fractal yesterday after thinking for a long time to return. I ended up having a meltdown and no adjustment in the game helps. 
I feel that anet went more and more into the flashy direction over the past few years.