The Development of a Videogame With Accessibility Features Using Unreal Engine

This paper documents the challenges and learning moments experienced in the development of an open world, action-adventure role-playing video game built with accessibility features using Unreal Engine. Given that at the outset, both Unreal Engine and the overall process of building a game were unfamiliar to me, this paper shares a unique perspective on the game development process through my experiences as a novice designer. Most significantly however, the paper's qualitative data derived from focus group research, which involved users living with various disabilities, offers insight into the usefulness of accessibility features built into video games. Specifically, this paper addresses the research question: "What key considerations should be taken into account when designing a video game for users with various disabilities?" The game, which features 12 different accessibility features that were constructed by accessing a number of learning resources and modifying assets to meet development needs, was demonstrated to a fivemember focus group of users with various disabilities. All respondents expressed the significance of accessibility features to their gaming experience by stating that they would prefer to play a lesser-known game with accessibility features than a popular release without such options. Their comments on the game and suggestions for accessibility enhancements to it are documented herein and are reflected in plans for its future development. Keywords: