as my own direct immediate list of game grievances i hate that stardew valley expects you to side against a wheelchair user who is upset that he was moved without his consent. i hate that the mass effect trilogy gives you visible scarring as a direct result of choosing mean dialogue and heals it if you're nice. i hate that the vampire the masquerade ttrpg has a monstrous player class that can appear as horrible vampiric monsters or as visibly disabled people and both of these appearances are mechanically the same. i hate that dark souls games have a difficulty level implemented in a way that cannot be adjusted for disability. i hate that i can play as a mermaid or a werewolf or a horse in the sims games but can't use a wheelchair. i hate that the ace attorney games have so much flashing and not all of the games can disable it. i hate that disability is constantly something that happens to teach a lesson, i hate that disability is something that happens as a punishment, i hate that disability is either compensated perfectly with no drawbacks or something that is endlessly sought to be cured. i hate that no character customization will ever include the mobility aids i use, that the player avatars that represent me will never look like me. i am so goddamn annoyed and so goddamn tired.
I got GoW: Ragnarok recently & the accessibility is a god send. Camera rotates to my objective when I click R3, color markers to show what I can open, sounds that tell me what to do or when combat ends, volume controls are a given but emphasis on voices over music. Directional arrows that tell me where a speaker is, color coded text to show speaker from dialouge! THEY HAVE A FUCKING SCREEN READER!
It’s amazing! Accessibility in games is possible, especially shit like a pause menu to take a bathroom break (Elden Ring doesn’t have a pause menu) & as OP pointed out, Darksouls doesn’t have an adjustable difficulty, which is part of my issue with the class I chose so now I’m fucking stuck in Undeadburg, unable to get past the Skeleton archers bc I fucking can’t make it easier for myself.
I haven’t touched Dragon’s Dogma in god knows how long & I know for shit they didn’t add anything other than subs for accessibility.
I want to play games that are captivating without wanting to take a sledge hammer to my $500 dollar system, is that too much to ask?
Representation in Games is also important! Studies have been did with kids of color & when they see themselves in a positive light, they don’t grow up to feel like they’re trash. They don’t turn down the single plank bridge, if you will. Which is why as a movie, Black Panther was important for the year it was released in. Black kids saw themselves in Chadwick Bosemen & see themselves as a hero. Someone who can grow up & be something good! Which is wonderful!