With video games becoming more and more popular, everyone is always trying to make their titles accessible to as many people as possible around the world. On the other hand we are talking about a medium capable of entertaining yes, but also of dealing with the most disparate themes in infinite different ways. Precisely for this reason Electronic Arts has recently declared that it wants to work more and more to improve accessibility of this fantastic and important medium.
In view of the upcoming International Day of Disabled Persons on December 3rd, Electronic Arts, giant in the world of videogame entertainment, has decided to announce six new patents designed to massify its commitment to make videogames accessible for everyone. This commitment provides developers with free access not only to these patents, but also to technologies related to accessibility, as well as reduce or eliminate as many barriers as possible to access in video games.
Thanks to the six new patents it will be easier for a greater number of players to approach a video game or a device. Among these patents is a machine learning system for improving a player's experience and performance by automatically recommending and applying controller configuration settings on a player's specific skills and tendencies. This technology in particular will allow disabled players to discover the accessibility settings that best suit their needs.
In addition to adding more patents, Electronic Arts is opening Font, a tool that automatically identifies text in video content and determines if it meets specified size and contrast ratio criteria, making it easier to ensure that text can be read by players with different visual conditions. The software code is available here.
“Innovation, creativity and inclusivity are key to us and when we unveiled the Accessibility Patent Pledge last year, we were delighted by the positive feedback we received, both from the industry and from our players. Everyone at EA truly believes that nothing should come between our players and our shared love of gaming, and so we are delighted to be able to continue adding our latest pioneering accessibility solutions,” said Chris Bruzzo, Chief Experience Electronic Arts Officer.
