Level-Up! Comparing accessibility features based on gameplay performance

This study examined the impact of accessibility cues on hearing and non-hearing players’ performance in a 3D, third-person shooter video game. The intent was to resolve the debate about whether accessibility features unfairly lessen the difficulty of video games for hearing players. In this study, players completed the video game with three accessibility cue conditions (visual, haptic, both) and were assigned to one of two audio conditions (audio, no audio). Hard-of-Hearing (HOH) participants played the video game under all three cue conditions. Performance data indicated that accessibility cues helped players without audio without affording an unfair advantage to those with audio. Qualitative data indicated that participants’ beliefs about the cues aligned with the popular—but inaccurate—belief that accessibility cues afforded them an advantage. This research is a first step in examining accessibility cues in the context of video games. The results can be applied to video game design as well as to other fields that use cues to convey information—such as human perception—and as a method for designing cues for training people in the medical, aerospace, and education fields. ; Peer Reviewed