The Game Awards Embrace Accessibility With Audio Descriptive Mode

For the first time ever, The Game Awards will have a special audio descriptive mode stream for people who are blind and of low vision people on YouTube. This welcome addition for one of gaming’s most seminal awards nights is in line with the industry’s push towards greater accessibility for everyone.

The Game Awards Embrace Accessibility with Audio Descriptive Mode Cover Image

The Game Awards 2020 is now only a few days away from streaming around the world, but the event’s host Geoff Keighley has taken to Twitter to announce that special effort is being made to ensure every viewer will get to experience the night as best as they possibly can. An audio descriptive mode livestream will be available to anyone watching on YouTube which will aid people who are blind or of low vision. As Keighley mentions in his tweet, “Accessibility matters”.

Audio description is when a narrator describes what is happening on screen without interrupting any of the dialogue already included in the video. This feature has been included in certain games recently, particularly those from Ubisoft. In fact, The Games Awards features a category for “Innovation in Accessibility”, which it describes as “recognising software and/or hardware that is pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology and content to help games be played and enjoyed by an even wider audience.”

Innovation in Accessibility Nominees:

It’s heartening to see such a major event in the gaming calendar embrace accessibility. The Game Awards 2020 will be held on the 10th of December at 4pm PT. For all the news and announcements surrounding the awards show, check out our summary on the nominations for The Game Awards 2020 being announced.

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