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Naughty Dog Explains Why Accessibility Matters In Uncharted 4
A heartwarming and informative new video from Naughty Dog explains how the developer made Uncharted 4 more accessible for disabled gamers, why it matters, and who is responsible for the changes (hint: G.I. readers might just recognize him).
If you've delved into Uncharted 4's options menus, you may have recognized a few helpful features you don't normally see in video games, such as the ability to hold a button down during QTEs instead of mashing on it, or snapping the reticle to nearby enemies when aiming down the sights. While these options are a nice bonus for lazy gamers such as myself, they stand as a vital and long-needed improvement for disabled gamers who might otherwise find their adventure coming to an abrupt and unexpected end.
In the video below, Naughty Dog designers Emilia Schatz and Alex Neonakis discuss how they became aware of and addressed the issues their games were causing for some disabled gamers, which all started with a conversation with DAGER System founder Josh Straub. If that name sounds familiar, it's probably because Josh is a former G.I. intern, who wrote several insightful features on game accessibility during his tenure here (full disclosure: we're kinda big fans of him). Josh also appears in the video to describe what's at stake for gamers such as himself, a message Naughty Dog clearly took to heart.
To find out more about game accessibility, including reviews written specifically to inform disabled gamers how accessible new titles are, head to DAGER System's website.
Our Take
Long before Josh became
an intern here at G.I. he was working towards his goal to make games more
accessible for a wider range of players. We couldn't be happier to see the
strides he's been making in getting the message out about the accessibility needs of disabled gamers. And kudos to Naughty Dog for taking up an important
cause, and continuing to broaden the reach of video games to new types of players.
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