On a functional and sensory level, creating inclusion requires identifying exactly where the barriers are. For a player to be truly included, the design must look beyond just visuals and incorporate haptic feedback/vibration and audio cues to support those with different sensory abilities. As seen in the exploration of colorblindness, a major barrier is often a reliance on a single channel of information (like color) to communicate vital game data.
Identifying these barriers makes it evident that participation in a game world is shaped by how much information is “translated” across different senses. The “Who and How” of inclusion depends on moving away from a “one-size-fits-all” visual approach and instead providing multi-sensory tools—like vibration and sound—that allow players to navigate the game regardless of their visual or physical constraints.
