The second annual Game Accessibility Awards on March 12 announced the winners in 9 categories, celebrating games or development studios that are making strides in accessibility to disabled gamers. Halo Infinite published by Xbox Game Studios and developed by 343 Studios took home 2 awards in Clear Text and Training Grounds. Other award categories included recognition in games for their Input Reduction, AI Assistance, Peer Assistance, Ability to Bypass and Remapping capabilities.
This year’s live-streamed event honored games that were completed and released in 2021. This broadcast also included closed captioning and a separate American Sign Language feed for deaf viewers. Co-hosts and creators of the award show Alanah Pearce and Steven Spohn had side-by-side panels, discussing the importance of accessibility for gaming across all avenues. Pearce is a video game writer for Santa Monica Studio and a previous game reporter for IGN, while Sophn is Senior Director at AbleGamers, a non-profit organization committed to improving the quality of life for people with disabilities through video games. The duo also introduced the categories and their award presenters including celebrity actor Ryan Reynolds and popular game streamer JackSepticEye.
Training Grounds – For games that give players a place or means to increase their skill level outside of their own time, outside of the usual means of training used by the game.
- Halo Infinite – 343 Industries, Xbox Game Studios – WINNER
- Monster Hunter Rise – Capcom
- Back 4 Blood – Turtle Rock Studios, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Second Channel – For games that give players a second means or interface to get the information they may need to progress. Presented by Ryan Reynolds.
- Before Your Eyes – GoodbyeWorld Games, Skybound Games
- Unpacking – Witch Beam, Humble Bundle
- Guardians of the Galaxy – Eidos-Montréal, Square Enix – WINNER
Clear Text – For games that allow players to read the text in the game or its interfaces reliably.
- Boyfriend Dungeon – Kitfox Games
- Loop Hero – Four Quarters, Devolver Digital
- Halo Infinite – 343 Industries, Xbox Game Studios – WINNER
Input Reduction – For games that allow players to decrease the amount of input reduction needed to undertake a sequence of actions required by the game successfully.
- Before Your Eyes – GoodbyeWorld Games, Skybound Games – WINNER
- Fights in Tight Spaces – Ground Shatter, Mode 7 Games
- Escape From Tarkov – Battlestate Games
AI Assistance – For games that allow players to progress through challenges with assistance from in-game AI. Presented by JackSepticEye.
- Forza Horizon 5 – Playground Games, Xbox Game Studios – WINNER
- Far Cry 6 – Ubisoft Toronto, Ubisoft
- Psychonauts 2 – Double Fine, Xbox Game Studios
Improved Precision – For games that allow players to increase or decrease things like movement sensitivity so that they may be precise with their actions in the game or its interfaces.
- Chivalry 2 – Torn Banner Studios, Tripwire Interactive
- Far Cry 6 – Ubisoft Toronto, Ubisoft – WINNER
- Back 4 Blood – Turtle Rock Studios, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Peer Assistance – For games that allow players to progress through challenges presented by the game with assistance from another player.
- It Takes Two – Hazelight Studios, Electronic Arts – WINNER
- Age of Empires IV – Relic Entertainment, World’s Edge, Xbox Game Studios
- Back 4 Blood – Turtle Rock Studios, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Remapping – For games that allow players to remap or reconfigure standard control figurations.
- Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart – Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment
- It Takes Two – Hazelight Studios, Electronic Arts
- Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker – Square Enix – WINNER
Ability to Bypass – For games that allow players to bypass or skip sections that they are unable to engage with successfully.
- Life Is Strange: True Colors – Deck Nine, Square Enix – WINNER
- Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart – Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Unpacking – Witch Beam, Humble Bundle
Games have the power to give us hope, perhaps more important today than ever before, and to bring people together from all parts of the world. When we play games, we get to be the hero of our own story. So once again I want to thank the Accessibility Awards for raising awareness to everyone in this industry who works hard day in and day out to help everyone be the hero of their own story.
Said David Ellis, Senior Designer of Halo Infinite during his acceptance speech for Halo Infinite, which took home the most awards.