U.S. Video Games at an Inflection Point: Accessibility a Key Benefit for Players and Games Developers

The US video game industry is at an inflection point Collectively weamp8217re facing headwinds we havenamp8217t experienced since 2008 Higher interest rates availability of capital incredible competition for talent and a consumer base eager to see how our industryamp8217s artists storytellers and creators will push artistic and technological boundaries And while those challenges call for a time of serious strategic and careful planning thereamp8217s also every reason to be hopeful looking ahead to 2024The path forward and key to success is what itamp8217s always been and surprisingly straightforward amp8211 earning more money than is spent How to do that Thatamp8217s admittedly trickier Gearbox has a long history of success by providing that community with creating worldclass entertainment That value proposition is critical We always work to ensure that our fans feel like they got the better end of the deal when they purchase our contentWe also have been a leader in accessibility which opens the market to a host of new players Millions of Americans have auditory visual and motor disabilities and too often theyamp8217re excluded from video games the modern lifeblood of home entertainment We make accessibility an entertainment priority now and for the future of gamingTodayamp8217s video games offer the chance to feel intellectually stimulated and engaged to socialize with others online and to experience some of the best storytelling our generation has to offer Video game companies failing to make content as accessible as possible locks an entire community out of that power Every studio head or developer that does not prioritize incorporating accessible features like changing font size or allowing full controller customization unfairly restricts people with disabilitiesamp8217 choices in entertainment Itamp8217s the video game equivalent of being told you canamp8217t see two thirds of the movies in a theater because the chairs arenamp8217t designed for you or that you donamp8217t have the ears to properly hear a song on Spotify They are being told they canamp8217t enjoy the same content as everyone else because of factors outside of their control Itamp8217s an injustice that we must correctExpanding accessibility in video games is the right thing to do Right now too few companies are building games with everyoneamp8217s needs in mind The companies that prioritize this sooner rather than later will reap the benefits favorable coverage of their game and inroads with a community that is incredibly passionate and loyalGearbox Software develops products with accessibility in mind On a recent title Borderlands 3 everything from font size to the controller could be adjusted to match the useramp8217s preferences We also launched Borderlands Science our minigame within Borderlands 3 that helps scientists map the human gut microbiome Recognizing that color blindness affects 5 to 10 percent of the US population we made sure the puzzle pieces were not just different colors but also different shapesHowever growing the base is only one part of the equation The other is attracting and retaining incredible talent and by working with incredible development teams from around the worldWe believe that maintaining long relationships with our team is possible by advancing and highlighting creativity happiness and profit We live into those principles in myriad ways including creating a healthy work environment that encourages individual expression innovative exploration and risktaking We reward experimentation We work to instill in our team an amp8220owneroperatoramp8221 mindset that empowers team members to lead but also to pause work when they see something awryOn the other side of the fence from our development division we have a publishing team with offices around the worldWhen our publishing division works with development studios we make financial fairness and transparency a priority The hard reality is that video game publishers often hold the power when working with less established developers meaning the onus is on us to level the financial playing fieldGearbox Publishing gives our development partners deep insight into our financial forecasts and publishing capabilities for their titles We donamp8217t make promises we canamp8217t keep and we donamp8217t put pen to paper until our friends on the other side of the table have all the information they needThis model weamp8217ve created promotes a healthier developerpublisher dynamic that can make our industryamp8217s success even more sustainable When development studios are financially healthy and empowered as artists they continue tapping trusted publishers for work That means greater competition across the industry a broader variety of games and thriving local video game ecosystemsI wrote that weamp8217re experiencing industry challenges and some of those will likely continue to next year However my core belief is that the industry can continue to expand and grow by adopting some of the best practices Iamp8217ve outlined that Gearbox has found critical to our successThis article was written by Jenna Hardy Chief Financial Officer of Gearbox Entertainment and Secretary of MFMamp8217s Board of Directors Hardy leads all of Gearboxamp8217s funding strategies and financial planning including accounting auditing and corporate finance A member of Gearboxamp8217s Executive Team she joined the studio in 2016 after serving two decades at Warner Bros and DisneyPosted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership selfpublishing platformClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet

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