Features that require some planning and resource to implement and may not suit all game mechanics, but still relatively straightforward, beneficial to many people and generally just good game design, making the game better for all players.

General

• Allow difficulty level to be altered during gameplay, either through settings or adaptive difficulty
• Include some people with impairments amongst play-testing participants
• Offer a means to bypass gameplay elements that aren’t part of the core mechanic, via settings or in-game skip option
• Include assist modes such as auto-aim and assisted steering
• Provide a manual save feature
• Provide an autosave feature
• Allow a preference to be set for playing online multiplayer with/without others who are using accessibility features that could give a competitive advantage

 Motor

(Control / mobility)

• Ensure interactive elements / virtual controls are large and well spaced, particularly on small or touch screens
• Support more than one input device
• Make interactive elements that require accuracy (eg. cursor/touch controlled menu options) stationary
• Ensure that multiple simultaneous actions (eg. click/drag or swipe) are not required, and included only as a supplementary / alternative input method
• Ensure that all key actions can be carried out by digital controls (pad / keys / presses), with more complex input (eg. analogue, speech, gesture) not required, and included only as supplementary / alternative input methods
• Include an option to adjust the game speed
• Avoid repeated inputs (button-mashing/quick time events)
• If producing a PC game, support windowed mode for compatibility with overlaid virtual keyboards

Cognitive

(Thought / memory / processing information)

• Include contextual in-game help/guidance/tips
• Indicate / allow reminder of current objectives during gameplay
• Include a means of practicing without failure, such as a practice level or sandbox mode
• Employ a simple, clear narrative structure
• If using a long overarching narrative, provide summaries of progress
• Ensure no essential information (especially instructions) is conveyed by text alone, reinforce with visuals and/or speech
• Give a clear indication that interactive elements are interactive
• Provide an option to turn off / hide background movement
• Support voice chat as well as text for multiplayer games
• Provide gameplay thumbnails with game saves
• Provide separate volume controls or mutes for effects, speech and background/music
• Ensure sound / music choices for each key objects / events are distinct from each other
• Include an option to adjust the game speed
• Provide a choice of text colour, low/high contrast choice as a minimum

Vision

• If the game uses field of view (3D engine only), allow a means for it to be adjusted
• Avoid (or provide option to disable) any difference between controller movement and camera movement, such as weapon/walk bobbing or mouse smoothing
• Use surround sound
• Provide an option to turn off / hide background animation
• Provide an option to adjust contrast
• Ensure sound / music choices for key objects / events are distinct from each other
• Provide a choice of cursor / crosshair colours / designs
• Give a clear indication that interactive elements are interactive
• Ensure manual / website are provided in a screenreader friendly format
• Provide separate volume controls or mutes for effects, speech and background/music
• Avoid placing essential temporary information outside the player’s eye-line

Hearing

• Keep background noise to minimum during speech
• Provide a text alternative for all speech (subtitles / captions)
• Allow text alternatives to be displayed before any sound is played
• Provide a text description of narratively / atmospherically significant background noises
• Provide a visual indication of who is currently speaking
• Support text chat as well as voice for multiplayer
• Support visual means of communicating in multiplayer
• Allow a preference to be set for playing online multiplayer with players who will only play with / are willing to play without voice chat
• Ensure that all important supplementary information (eg. the direction you are being shot from) conveyed by audio is replicated in text / visuals
• Provide a stereo/mono toggle

Speech

• Allow a preference to be set for playing online multiplayer with players who will only play with / are willing to play without voice chat
• Support text chat as well as voice for online multiplayer
• Support visual means of communicating in multiplayer
• Base speech recognition on individual words from a small vocabulary (eg. ‘yes’ ‘no’ ‘open’) instead of long phrases or multi-syllable words