The hybrid edition of #GAconf USA 2025 was held on 29th-30th September across Zoom, Discord and the Archer hotel in Redmond.
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A look at the development of and journey to the award winning indie mobile puzzle game Art Of Fauna.
Input is the primary way that people interact with a game, but that also means controls is a place where lots of accessibility problems arise. If you haven’t really considered accessibility of your controls, then they (probably) suck. This talk aims to provide a clear guide to identifying barriers in controls, guidance to prioritise those barriers based on impact, and how to marry accessibility and gameplay intent. The content will cover all platforms; PC, Console and Mobile, and be applicable to any developer who has to think about controls – from a UI designer deciding how to navigate a menu to the programmer implementing inputs.
There is currently a boom in mods bringing accessibility for the blind to mainstream games, over 50 have been released in the past few months. This panel gives a look at the role AI tools are playing in that – what it entails, what difference it has made, and what it means (and doesn’t mean!) for the future.
A discussion of why (and how) the award-nominated “an unplayable game?!” brought inaccessibility to everyone.
As someone with 35,000 trophies over 16 years on PlayStation, Cameron Keywood has first hand experience in what makes achievements satisfying and what makes them frustrating. This talk explores the good the bad and the ugly of achievement design and how everyone can feel the joy of completion.
The games industry is getting better at accessibility for players… but what about developers?
In this talk, Mikey explores how studio policies, commuting expectations, and performative values can create barriers, even in companies that claim to be inclusive.
If accessibility only starts at the office door, is it really inclusion?
This presentation explores the pioneering work of Ken Yankelevitz in the history of accessible gaming. Beginning in the 1980s, the trained flight simulation engineer started the non-commercial development of accessible game controllers for individuals who could not use standard input devices. In collaboration with patients from rehabilitation clinics, he created customized solutions during an experimental phase (1980s–1990s) that enabled alternative input methods. Key devices discussed include his mouth controller for quadriplegic gamers and the “Fingertip Controller” for one-handed or hands-free use. The presentation then examines how Yankelevitz distributed these technologies through his company KY Designs (1981–2011), offering both standardized and customized devices at low cost and significantly shaping accessible gaming. Finally, the presentation highlights the QuadStick, which represents the consistent continuation of Yankelevitz’s efforts by Fred Davison.
This presentation shares information arguing that accessibility drives stronger business outcomes by expanding to wider audiences, creating higher quality experiences, and driving increased visibility. Building on this, Rare’s accessibility journey in Sea of Thieves illustrates how embedding accessibility into studio culture and development processes through iterative improvements and distributed ownership can improve product quality, reduce production risk, and earn industry recognition over time.
An introduction to the charity Spectrum Gaming, with a focus on how gaming supports autistic young people recovering from burnout to find community, acceptance and confidence to exist in the world in the way that works best for them!
Wednesdays isn’t a serious game, but it does carry an important message, and we wanted to make sure this message could reach the widest audience. This talk will detail how developers, publisher, consultants and playtesters worked hand in hand to make a video game about child abuse as accessible as possible.
Recent studies have shown that frequent gamers play with headphones more than 50% of the time. While increasing immersion (which is what we try to do!), the prolonged use of headphones at high volumes is a significant contributor to hearing damage.
There are things we as game developers can do to help mitigate impact on players’ hearing health, and it turns out many are small tweaks to things we currently do for player accessibility. Accessibility and player sensory health are close cousins, from a developer perspective.
This talk will look at some the basics of hearing safety and go over the work the World Health Organization has done in hearing safety and health in esports and video games. We will also show how incorporating simple recommendations for game software and systems can have an impact on our players’ hearing health, and how your game may be doing something very similar already.
Drawing from the development of Unity’s native screen reader support across platforms, this talk provides a map for developers and accessibility experts to speak the same language of accessibility APIs. Attendees will discover how operating systems provide the built-in infrastructure for supporting screen readers, and how Unity is “democratizing” accessibility by bridging the gap between the engine and platform-level accessibility APIs. Whether you’re a developer who has never used a screen reader or an accessibility advocate looking for technical clarity, you’ll leave with a clear understanding of how to use the “shadow interface” and reach more players.
A deep dive into how accessibility relates into UI – features, processes, team structures and responsibilities, and the bigger picture across the industry.
Blind and low-vision (BLV) gamers in China represent a highly engaged, social, and loyal community that is often overlooked in mainstream development. By tracing the evolution of the Chinese BLV market, we will uncover how these players navigate complex digital environments through sound and touch. We will delve into the authentic stories of players to understand their core desires for social belonging and competitive fairness, translating these human needs into specific design imperatives.
Accessibility is often deprioritized in mobile game development because the fast-paced nature of the industry leaves little room for it in production pipelines. This talk offers practical frameworks for translating accessibility into product metrics, retention goals, and ROI, so you can advocate for it with the stakeholders who make decisions about budget, development priorities, and release timelines.
Game Quality expert and Accessibility advocate, David Jenkins, shares his experiences working in the industry as someone with AuDHD.
Laura Kate Dale, host of the Access-Ability Summer Showcase, gives a 15 minute micro-talk discussing the annual accessible games focused showcase, and some of the raw numbers and facts behind how accessibility focused marketting has benefitted games involved in the event.
This session focuses on what worked, what didn’t, and where we had to compromise. Expect concrete examples, production realities, and actionable patterns you can apply to your own VR projects—whether you’re building for high-intensity physical play or more traditional interaction models.
If you’re developing VR and want to reach a broader audience without diluting your design vision, this talk provides a candid, systems-level look at how to get there
“A deaf, a blind and a robot walk into a games company…”
The story of Many Cats Studios is an unconventional one shaped by failure, disability and a deep connection to the games industry.
Founded by Chris after his own challenging experiences in the workplace, Many Cats Studios began as a personal response to the barriers disabled professionals face in games development. Over the past year, it has evolved into a consultancy supporting publishers and developers in creating more accessible games.
This talk explores that journey from personal setbacks to building a service rooted in real-world disabled experience and how embedding lived expertise into development can lead to more accessible, better designed games.