Why make games accessible?
We believe that Xbox should be a place where everyone has fun. Inclusive and accessible games make it possible for more gamers to play. There are over 1 billion people in the world with a disability, and it is likely that most of us will face a temporary, situational or permanent disability during our lifetime. Creating games that are accessible means more gamers can play, connect with their family and friends and ultimately enjoy the game you created.
Increased gamer base
At its most basic level, the business justification for accessibility is straightforward.
Number of users who can play your game x Awesomeness of game = Game sales
If you made an amazing game that is so complicated or convoluted that only a handful of people can play it, you limit your sales. Similarly, if you made a game that is unplayable by those with physical, sensory, or cognitive impairments, you are missing out on potential sales. Considering that, for example, 19% of people in the United States have some form of disability, estimated 14% of adults in the US have difficulty reading, and estimated 10% of males have some form of color vision deficiency, this can potentially have a large impact on your title's revenue.
For more business justifications, see Making Video Games Accessible.
Better games
Creating a more accessible game can create a better game in the end.
An example is subtitles in games. In the past, games rarely supported subtitles or closed captioning for game dialogues. Today, it's expected that games include subtitles and closed captioning. This change was not driven by gamers with disabilities. Instead, it was driven by localization, but became popular with a wide range of gamers who simply preferred to play with subtitles because it made the gaming experience better. Gamers turn subtitles and closed captioning on when they are playing with too much background noise, are having difficulty hearing voices with various sound effects or ambient sounds playing at the same time, or when they simply need to keep the volume low to avoid disturbing others. Subtitles and closed captions not only helped gamers to have a better gaming experience, but it also allows people with hearing disabilities to game as well.
Controller remapping is another feature that is slowly becoming a standard for the game industry for similar reasons. It is most commonly offered as a benefit for all players. Some gamers enjoy customizing their gaming experiences and some simply prefer something different from what the designers had in mind. What most people don't realize is that the ability to remap buttons on an input device is actually also an accessibility feature that was intended to make a game playable for people with various types of motor disabilities, who are physically unable to or find it difficult to operate certain areas of the controller.
Ultimately, the thought process used to make your game more accessible will often result in a better game because you have designed a more user-friendly, customizable experience for your players to enjoy.
Social space and quality of life
Video games are one of the highest grossing forms of entertainment and gaming can provide hours of joy. For some, gaming is not only a form of entertainment but it is an escape from a hospital bed, chronic pain, or debilitating social anxiety. Gamers are transported into a world where they become the main characters in the video game. Through gaming, they can create and participate in a social space for themselves that provides distraction from the day-to-day struggles brought on by their disabilities, and that provides an opportunity to communicate with people they might otherwise be unable to interact with.
Gaming is also a culture. Being able to take part in the same thing that all of your friends are talking about is something that can be hugely valuable to someone's quality of life.