An interview with British gamer and blogger Ben (Ben), better known under the pseudonym SightlessKombat, who is considered legally blind Sky news spoke about the experience of getting to know Santa Monica Studio’s action-adventure God of War Ragnarok.
Image source: Twitter (crisg_art)
According to Ben, who hasn’t been sighted since birth, he started playing with sound games (with a focus on blind or partially sighted people) and passing the usual console hits required outside help.
For example, in God of War (2018), Ben streamed his gameplay to a sighted friend in the US who provided clues. SightlessKombat’s streams caught the attention of Santa Monica, and the blogger was invited to consultations.
Ben was asked to demonstrate to the team exactly how he plays and offer advice on how to make the then unreleased God of War Ragnarok more accessible. As a result, the project was able to offer 60+ accessibility settings.
Image source: Sony Interactive Entertainment
“With all of this, aside from mysteries and menu searches that require visual advice or other workarounds, I can play through large parts of the game without help. It’s a great feeling of freedom.”Ben shared.
Ben’s work on God of War Ragnarok was not in vain: at The Game Awards 2022, a PlayStation exclusive game won, among others, the category “Best Accessibility Innovation”. The blogger stayed very proud of my contribution.
Ragnarok isn’t a pioneer in accessibility – Sea of Thieves and The Last of Us Part I also offer a wide range of features – but the vast majority of games don’t come close to what players like Ben want.
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