XR accessibility insights and toolkit: gaming sector report

The use of extended reality (XR) game technologies is on the rise, creating increasingly immersive experiences. However, limited consideration of inclusive design in this context often renders these experiences inaccessible for blind and partially sighted individuals. XR technologies encompasses virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), and augmented reality (AR) experiences, all of which can be developed using game technologies.

This report was commissioned by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and created by an interdisciplinary team based in the Faculty of Design, Informatics and Business at Abertay University, Dundee, United Kingdom.

The aim of this report is to present actionable insights targeted towards the gaming industry to support development of accessible XR experiences. Thus, we begin by presenting an overview of cutting-edge research at the intersection of accessibility and games, with a particular focus on sight loss and XR experiences. We then present our findings derived from interviews with professional game developers with a variety of experience with accessible design.

Building on existing research and consultations with practitioners, we applied these findings and augmented a VR prototype, Rhizoma VR, with features to improve accessibility for blind and partially sighted people (BPS). Rhizoma VR was then evaluated by a group of people with varying levels of sight loss, to evaluate the efficacy of the augmentations integrated. Evaluation results allowed us to corroborate our actionable insights for the games industry, supporting future development of accessible XR experiences.

Gaming offers a powerful means for individuals to feel included in a community, positively impacting mental health and reducing social isolation. Therefore, it is imperative that XR gaming experiences are accessible to a wide audience, especially for those who are blind and partially sighted. The games industry has a clear opportunity to support this through inclusive design practices, and we hope this report provides a basis to facilitate the development of accessible XR experiences.