Accessibility in Games - Alanah Pearce considers having a child a disability

[Wes68]

The subject of accessibility in games has resurfaced with the release of Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. There's been a lot of discussion surrounding the DLC's difficulty.

Some folks like Alanah Pearce have taken to discussing that even Steam users have suggested / admitted that the game is too hard. However just looking at the "Mixed" score as Alanah has; it is not presenting an accurate picture. What's notable is that Shadow of the Erdtree had some significant performance issues on Steam which is likely the reason for that mixed score. And if you are to check the steam page now? It's mostly positive which would make sense given that From Soft released an update.

In fact I didn't have to scroll long (even with the mostly positive to find two negative reviews which both cited performance)

The difficulty is completely fine. It is challenging, that's the point.
My issue is with performance. ER always ran smooth as silk on my pc until the dlc arrived.
Loading times have increased substantially, occasionally areas won't load and all you can see is a void, sometimes the sound works just fine, sometimes it plays intermittently which is extremely annoying. But the most frustrating issue is the random fps dips and freezes. It can be as random as fighting the same boss for 10 minutes without an issue and then it drops from 60 to 1fps, enjoy the slideshow! skeleton.

For context I have attached a video reaction from OhNoIt'sAlexx discussing Alannah's take.

Alex: "It's not about making the game simpler. It's about providing options for those players, whether it's button remapping, colorblind mode, turning off QTE's, etc. Those things are accessibility options. Lowering the difficulty is not an accessibility option. That's a refusal to "get good." Disability is a serious topic, and people with disabilities need to have the tools that allow them to have the same experience and sense of accomplishment that other people can have. Having an easy mode robs them of that.

Alanah: "It counts as a disability where Elden Ring is concerned if you have a kid. You have a 2 year old and you are trying to play Elden Ring, you can't pause. That's a situational disability. You may need to pause to stop your kid from putting a fork into a power outlet."

Is this Alanah's too much water moment? First I have a few issues with this...take.

• Maybe if you have to be concerned with your kid sticking a fork into a power outlet? Maybe you shouldn't be playing a video game at that point in time? Why not play the game when they are asleep?
• This is also why they have outlet caps/covers...
• To suggest having a kid is a disability is a kind of fucked up take. Imagine years later when the kid finds out that their parent viewed them as a disability because they couldn't play a video game.
• Maybe if having a kid is a disability? Don't have a kid in the first place? Like Alexx said? A kid is not a disability, they are a responsibility.

________________________________

So with that in mind I thought it worth revisiting the topic of accessibility vs. difficulty not just in a broader sense but how it applies to Nintendo games. I wouldn't go quite as far to say that difficulty isn't an accessibility option as Alexx suggests. I feel a lot of it has to do with the type of game. But I would also not go as far as Alanah does in using a disability as a shield or excuse to not try and get better at a game. I think that Alexx is right in that just making a game easier can have the effect of depriving someone with a disability of a greater sense of accomplishment.

I think it's worth highlighting some individuals who have persevered in the space even playing at a competitive level despite a disability.

Take Broly Legs. The guy literally plays games with his face.

Mike "BrolyLegs" Begum learned to play video games with his face. As a kid, the Texas native pinned the rectangular NES controller against his wrist while he negotiated the buttons and D-pad with the surprising malleability of his nose and cheeks. It was there, on the floor, with his eyes cranked to the top of his sockets so he could see the TV screen, where he learned to beat Super Mario Bros.

BrolyLegs suffers from arthrogryposis, a rare genetic condition that seizes up crucial joints in his arms and legs. Traditional sports were out of the question, but competitors always find a way.
BrolyLegs eventually discovered a better solution for gaming: his tongue. It was a surprisingly solid stand-in for a thumb, with a flexibility that allowed him the elegance needed to master a squirrely analog stick. His condition was no longer a barrier. BrolyLegs was starting to get good, and in 2004 he competed in his first Super Smash Bros. tournament. Today, he's 29 years old and a fixture in the Street Fighter V scene, maining the defensive hair-bunned Interpol officer Chun-Li.

https://twitter.com/Brolylegs/status/876301001476771849?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^876301001476771849|twgr^d0500a26732412579d27fa752368f2a7f8753e4a|twcon^s1_c10&ref_url=https://publish.twitter.com/?url=https://twitter.com/Brolylegs/status/876301001476771849

BrolyLegs' story is about a gamer who got good the same way anyone gets good—by taking lumps against stiff competition. Pro gaming is the one sector in competitive sports where the differently abled aren't segregated into their own bracket. There's no defense to a perfectly timed Spinning Bird Kick, no matter how it's input.

While BrolyLegs might not be the best Street Fighter player in the world, right now he's capable of holding his own in any tournament, against any player. In May, he placed ninth at Space City Beatdown - Chapter 2 in Texas; the winner of his bracket was Bryant "Smug" Huggins, a top-50 player as ranked by the fighting game repository Shoryuken.

"I do like that disabled gamers are not treated differently in tournaments," BrolyLegs says. "Everyone that signs up wants to win and that is exactly how it should be."

I find stories like this inspiring. They aren't asking for a handout. They in many cases work with what they are given. That isn't to say that there shouldn't be tools that make it easier for them. Take Microsoft's adaptive controller and quadstick for example. The quadstick is designed for paraplegic gamers.

There is another aspect of accessibility Alanah failed to mention. The cost for some of this specialized equipment. The quad stick I just noted above costs $1,000. It's a bit of an oxymoron in that a controller/device meant to make gaming more accessible is itself not easily accessible due to it's price tag.

And when it comes to Nintendo? Nintendo have been scrutinized for their lack of "accessibility" for disabled gamers.

https://www.themarysue.com/nintendos-new-tournament-rules-discriminate-against-disabled-gamers/

On Tuesday, October 24, the company announced that there would be new rules coming into effect for those who want to play in Nintendo tournaments

Those who have accessibility needs due to disability or injury won’t be able to participate in tournaments like everyone else.

Under the “tournaments that are illegal or inappropriately conducted or that could be viewed as offensive or otherwise inappropriate” section of the newly published guidelines, the rules state “Use of game consoles, accessories and software not licensed by Nintendo” is prohibited.

Nintendo needs to refer back to their own guidelines, which also state: “Organizers will make full efforts to create a Community Tournament that is friendly and welcoming to all, and that fully respects the dignity of Participants and will not tolerate harassment or discrimination of any kind, including based on race, ethnicity, nationality, ideology, religion, belief, origin, social status, class, occupation, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status.”

I mean, Nintendo could solve the problem by making accessible accessories for their consoles that are licensed by them. But they don’t, and presumably won’t because those with access needs are an afterthought and that sort of investment is seen as a waste of money because it would constitute a minority of sales.

I hate to quote or agree with the Mary Sue, but they aren't really wrong here. To ban accessories not licensed by Nintendo is contradictory given their statement on making events open and welcoming to all. And no Nintendo really doesn't offer many options for people with disabilities.

Nintendo’s New Games Are Miserable for People With Disabilities​

https://onezero.medium.com/nintendos-new-games-are-hell-for-people-with-disabilities-8e9d6b2182e9

While Nintendo rides high on the success of its new Switch console, people with disabilities struggle to enjoy the company’s games. These gamers complain of trouble navigating hits like Super Mario Odyssey — if they can play the games at all — because they’re packed with fiddly interactions requiring a flick of the wrist or sensitivity to a controller’s vibrations. Nintendo didn’t reply to a request for comment before deadline.

These problems with the Switch have actually plagued the company’s products for years. The company’s Wii console, launched way back in 2006, also relied on innovative motion controls that shut some people out of the system — ironic, because the Wii was supposedly designed around accessibility.

The article is paywalled, but here is just an excerpt. And the Wii was interesting. It offered many non gamers ways to play games via motion controls. It found it's way into nursing homes. But it's worth noting that so many games were tied too or developed around motion controls which...if you are a paraplegic isn't going to be particularly easy.

Switch does not account for disabled gamers​

http://www.duqsm.com/switch-not-account-disabled-gamers/

As the article notes? The Switch Joycons are just ill-suited for disabled folks. While, I consider myself to be in decent health and am not disabled. The joycons are too small to the point my hands will begin to cramp for an extended play session. The grip that it comes with is serviceable. But the out of the box experience leaves a quite a bit to be desired. And I know people will say to buy a pro controller...but this too is kind of a strike against the out of box experience if you have to pay another $70 just to have a decent controller and that's before any issues of drifting sticks.

What I would like to see is for Sony and Nintendo to officially support the adaptive controller. I don't care if it's a MS peripheral if it allows more people to play more games.

Dad builds Nintendo games controller for disabled daughter​

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-51174568

A man has hand-built a custom controller for his disabled daughter so she is able to play video games.
Rory Steel said the Nintendo Switch controller was built for nine-year-old Ava with a Microsoft device and components from eBay for about £110.
A video on Twitter of Ava, who is from Jersey, using the device has had more than 800,000 views.
Mr Steel said she had given the device a "big thumbs-up" and the attention had been "a little bit surreal".
He said Ava, who has hereditary spastic paraplegia which affects her motor controls and speech, made the suggestion after seeing videos online.
Teacher Mr Steel, head of the Digital Jersey Academy, built the device with two joysticks and arcade game-style flashing buttons hooked up to a Microsoft Xbox adaptive controller.
He said the controller was built in a weekend after some "serious soldering" and "wire management".

Mr Steel, who described himself as "always a bit of a tinkerer", said Ava's five-year-old brother Corben, who has the same condition, was also involved.
He said Ava had "actually stolen the limelight", but the younger sibling was "straight in afterwards" to also play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
"She also said that she's made me famous and asked 'What's my cut?!'," Mr Steel said.

1. That's impressive and super cool.
2. Why should a father have to build a controller just so she can play a Zelda game? Because he cares that much. His kids aren't the disability as Alanah would suggest.

There was a reddit post from about 4 years ago referencing this so I thought it was topical and worth sharing.

Microsoft is helping veterans game again with Xbox Adaptive Controllers​

https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/30/...tive-controller-military-veterans-partnership

Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller started out as two hackathon projects at the company after an idea from a veteran with limited mobility. Designed for gamers with disabilities, the controller has two large programmable buttons and 19 jacks that can be connected to various accessories to make Xbox and PC gaming far more accessible for a number of players. Microsoft is now partnering with the US Department of Veteran Affairs to provide 22 rehab centers with Xbox Adaptive Controllers and allow veterans with limited mobility the ability to play games again.

“Our conversations with other platforms about supporting the Adaptive Controllers been positive,” says Spencer. “We’ve talked to Valve about it, we’ve talked to Nintendo about it, we’ve talked to Sony about it. This isn’t something where I feel like we’ve got to break down some walls. My hope is that it’s just time.”

_______________________

I've focused quite a bit on the hardware side of accessiblity. But It's worth noting that a lot can be done within the games themselves without resorting to just making a game easier.

BotW and TotK both do not have colorblind modes something that perhaps should be industry standard by now.

Subtitles are found in many titles these days and are important for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

And some options not only benefit disabled gamers who may find button mashing a QTE to be physically difficult. It can also benefit folks like me who just don't really care for QTE's in general.
________________________________

Finally I want to circle back to the topic of difficulty.

Twitch streamer ‘HanDcapableSean’ is well-known for beating some of the most difficult video games in existence with just his chin, and as other streamers are rage quitting Elden Ring, he is succeeding.

Difficulty is something that can be pretty subjective. I personally feel that the developers shouldn't feel obligated to add a lower-difficulty option because a journalist says that a game is too hard. There are a number of factors that have to be accounted for with different difficulty options. Everything needs rebalanced for that particular mode. We saw something like this happen with FF7 remake where journalists said it was too hard only to then complain that easy was too easy.

Kotaku Finds Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s Easy Mode “Way Too Easy,” Readers Quickly Criticize Hypocritical Complaint​

https://boundingintocomics.com/2020...ers-quickly-criticize-hypocritical-complaint/

“Combat in Final Fantasy VII Remake, especially when facing powerful boss battles, involves juggling normal and special attacks, destructive and healing magics, and strategically exploiting enemy weaknesses. Unless you’re playing in easy mode. Then it’s just button-mashing bullshit.”

“Then came the dogs. Towards the end of the game, there’s an encounter with a bunch of Shinra bloodhounds. It’s not a boss fight, just a regular encounter between Aerith, Tifa, and a bunch of genetically modified puppers. The two characters, separated from the rest of the party, were quickly overwhelmed by snapping canine jaws again and again. There were just too many of them. I barely had time to get their ATB gauges to the point where they could use items or cast spells.

As Jason Schreier mentioned in his incredibly helpful tips post, there is no shame in switching to easy mode for this battle. After reloading from the game over screen five times, that’s exactly what I did.”

“The dogs, which tore my people apart time and time again, went down in under 30 seconds in easy mode. I didn’t use spells. I didn’t use special abilities. I barely had time to do so. Basic attacks, highly ineffective in normal difficulty mode, ripped those doggies apart like they were tissue paper.

As I was entering the game’s home stretch and wanted to complete it quickly so I could dish with Jason about the ending, I left easy mode on, and it continued to be ridiculously simple. My potion stockpile grew instead of steadily depleting. I barely healed at all during the game’s final moments. Boss attacks designed to deliver massive damage in normal mode barely tickled.” - Mike Fahey (Kotaku)

Kotaku Consistently Calls For Easier Games​

In “Learning to Love Easy Mode” from December 27, 2012, Patricia Hernandez writes, “More importantly, I’m moving into a place where I’d like difficulty, but not in the way most games give it to me. Mechanical difficulty is not the only type of difficulty there is.”

Hernandez adds, “Physically going through the motions of pressing buttons, at this point, is easy. I know how to do that, I’ve played a ton of games that have refined my skills and reaction time. Until more games give me reasons to make those actions complicated or messy, I’m plenty happy seeing what a game can offer me when I stop being so serious.”

Joshua Rivera on February 2, 2019 in “An Easy Mode Has Never Ruined A Game” wrote, “An easy mode can also offer an entirely different but equally desirable experience. To some, it could be the secret to making a game like Wolfenstein: The New Colossus go from “hardcore old-school shooter” that turns them off to “ridiculously apt Terror-Billy simulator” that brings them along for the ride. A concession on difficulty can lead to you discovering all sorts of things you might not otherwise appreciate in a game.”

Fahey himself previously supported the idea that a standard game difficulty “should start out with ALL weapons/shields/extras enabled.”

Wow, did that Final Fantasy VII Remake demo actually send my interest plummeting. I have basically zero idea how to play that first boss fight. A million interlocking systems all thrown at you at once.

Make sure to attack but also heal but also you can’t heal but also use magic but also you can’t use magic but also make sure to Stagger the enemy but also he has a barrier but also hide behind this debris but also Cris Kohler (Kotaku)

“Is Video Game Difficulty Ass-Backwards? in 2001, “You know what I think, game difficulty is all backwards in practically all games. You start up with barely any weapons…and if a game involves defense you start out with low shield or armor. As the game progress you get more weapons and things that make the games EASIER.” - Mikey Fahey (Kotaku)

How dare a game demand you to learn it's various systems and mechanics. How dare a game expect you to improve with practice/experience.

As someone replied with regards to Kotaku...

How many of their writers stomped their feet about “entitled” gamers when people said that the game balance and artistic vision matters.
And then they seriously pull this out lol. Its almost parody.
— Dr. Shy Guy (@DrShyGuy) April 10, 2020

Mike Fahey seems to have been living under a rock. You start out underequipped and then is surprised that the game gets easier as you get more gear, etc. That's pretty much how any game ever has worked. Even BotW/TotK, Metroid, etc. I might add.

Your progression in a game and increase in statistical power is part of that growth. Again if we talk about Elden Ring? The game can be as difficult or as easy as you make it. You can use mimic tears, you can find more flasks, etc. As others have pointed out? Shadow of the Erdtree the devs don't want you just facerolling shit with the stuff you have at the end of the base game. That's why they made it tougher...to account for your progress in the base game. There are more things to power up giving you reason to explore the new zone they created.

Take this feral artifact weapon cosmetic appearance in WoW. It's a reward for clearing the solo feral druid Mage tower challenge. It's was a pure test of player skill and it probably took me 30-40 tries even with looking up recommended items/strategies after failing several times initially. In the end my perseverance was rewarded. I still use it to this day and it it's nice to look at it and say "I did that." It wasn't just a matter of farming a raid boss on repeat for years on end (looking at Arthas who has yet to drop Invincible).

In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth there are a lot of systems and mechanics but after you play the game for the 120+ Hours they become second nature. And looking at how various characters can interact with one another and learning how to utilize them is half the fun.

@nookfan I hope doesn't mind me using their time with BG3 as an example. But iirc they restarted the game as they weren't happy with their initial beginning moments and they felt they had a better grasp of the many systems on a 2nd time around. Heck they finished the game before me!

Imagine if you didn't start a game with fewer abilities and armor like In Diablo.

What would the point of the game be if there wasn't the gear chase? Or look at the abilities. Imagine if you frontloaded the player with 4 abilities and said "Here you go have at it." Instead of allowing the player to experiment with the skill trees and learn what the abilities do and how the gear influences them in making a build?

Why not just give the player full raid gear, all their abilities and a UI like this with no hotkeys set up and expect them to win at a max level raid? The answer is because it's a bad idea. I've seen it first hand when Blizzard started selling boosts. What would happen is you'd have freshly boosted characters entering a dungeon without appropriate gear and they had not only no understanding of the encounter's mechanics. But they had no understanding of the countless abilities their character had just been given with that boost. They lacked the experience that came with those 50, 60, 70 odd levels of leveling through the world's content. Whether it's Elden Ring, WoW, Diablo, it's not so much that the game gets easier as you get more gear, it's also an extension of your knowledge of your class and abilities and how they work together, i.e. a rotation, etc.

As I said difficulty is really something that is largely up to the game devs if they feel it fits the game. That's why in a game like Diablo or WOW? They have more casual content baked in. The leveling experience with dungeons for example. But then you have the raids with additional tiers like heroic and mythic for folks that want more of a challenge.

For some narrative driven games? Maybe a story mode makes some sense for an RPG that spands 100's of hours. But Elden Ring's story is fairly light. The bosses are the content. And Miyazaki has said he feels adding other difficulty options would detract from the joy of toppling a boss.

With all that said...

TLDR: Can difficulty options make a game more accessible?
I don't feel difficulty is the same as accessibility. When I think of accessibility options I think of options like color blind mode, button remapping, specialty controllers, etc. that make the actual act of playing a game easier, rather than just making the game itself easier. However, I do think difficulty options can make certain games more accessible if done correctly.

You probably saw this coming. Fire Emblem arguably wouldn't even be around still if not for the additional difficulty options that were added in Awakening which have been carried forward.

However, it is worth noting that Fire Emblem has always difficulty options.

Fire Emblem Gaiden had an easy mode in fact though it was hidden.
Sacred Stones had easy, normal and difficult
Path of Radiance had easy, normal, difficult and maniac which was exclusive to the japanese version
Radiant Dawn had easy, normal and hard

What Awakening did was it added an option to turn off perma death. Here's an excerpt from an Iwata asks...

Spoiler

Yokota
But piling up new things in a positive way resulted in a new style of play. For example, you can develop the characters endlessly, so even if your parameters don't rise much when you level up, you can play without worrying because you'll have plenty of chances later on. What's more, in Casual Mode6, even if a comrade is defeated, you don't have to hesitate in developing them.6. Casual Mode: In this mode, when a comrade character becomes incapacitated, that character isn't lost and will be available for use on later maps. This mode first appeared in the previous game, Fire Emblem: Monsho no Nazo.

Iwata
Is there still a controversy over Casual Mode?

Higuchi
No, it's all right now.

Yamagami
I'd like to hear what you really think.

Higuchi
No, no! It's really all right! (laughs) A lot of people even at the company play casually.

Iwata
Some people think Casual Mode is heresy, while no doubt some would say they only discovered the enjoyment of Fire Emblem because of it.

Higuchi
Yes, there are quite a few of the latter. Especially among team members who played it for the first time, some said it was difficult without casual play, so I thought Yamagami-san had shown foresight. Sorry for getting huffy about that on the phone. (laughs)

Yamagami
No, no. But that was a surprise. It really was!

Everyone
(laughs loudly)

Yokota
I was totally against it from the start, too. But after coming to work on it, I thought Casual Mode was great! (laughs)

Iwata
There are different ways to play and enjoy it—stoically or adventurously in various ways.

Yokota
That's right. There are two modes and three difficulty settings, so it was difficult volume-wise. (laughs) If you combine Normal with Casual Mode, it could be a little easy.

Maeda
But when we had new employees test play it, I realized there was a value to having various modes, because if it was too difficult on Classic Mode, they could play to the end in Casual Mode. I think a lot of people will play all the way to the end.

Yokota
And we can't go without mentioning how Higuchi-san and Maeda-san applied themselves to adjusting the difficulty so their wives could play it. (laughs)

Higuchi
No, no…let's leave that out! (laughs) The three difficulty levels are Normal, Hard and Lunatic7, and they each play a certain role. Normal is recommended for people who regularly play RPGs, and we can recommend it to beginners. On the other hand, we want true masters of Fire Emblem to play in Lunatic!

Difficulty in a game like Fire Emblem is not the same as difficulty in Elden Ring or a souls game. One is a 2D Strategy game where you mostly are dealing with classes and static numbers like x2 damage base on weapon type. Elden Ring and a souls like you have hitboxes, etc. and the 3D space to account for.

Someone playing on easy, casual or phoenix does not affect my enjoyment of how I choose to play the game. But such difficulty options have their own needs/considerations to be made by the development teams. I am sure if Miyazaki felt that an easy mode was warranted or something they wanted to do in a souls game? They would have done so by now. Instead we have options in the game like runes, tears, stakes of Marika and summons which are all great.

Takahashi Amends Mass Effect Review​

https://kotaku.com/takahashi-amends-mass-effect-review-339632

It takes a big person to admit a mistake. And it takes an even bigger reviewer to do the same thing. Dean Takahashi wrote a fairly harsh review of Mass Effect...going as far as calling it "Mass Defect" (and making it cry all night and pass out over a half-eaten box of bonbons). And now, he's taking much of it back:

The dumb thing about the way I played the game, as many pointed out, is that I didn't make use of my Talent Points. I started the game doing so, but while on Feros, I didn't pay attention to all the Talent Points I was accumulating after every encounter. Those points just sat there. They were waiting for me to assign them to specific character trait improvements...A lot of positive effects flowed from this expanded repertoire in game play.

Takahashi is the same "Journalist" that called Mass Effect Mas Defect because he wasn't allocating skill points. He also as seen above was outplayed by a pigeon in Cuphead. He also if memory serves had some pretty bad gameplay for DOOM eternal.

The best article I have seen about this is probably IGN's Grant Stoner.

Accessibility Isn't Easy: What 'Easy Mode' Debates Miss About Bringing Games to Everyone​

https://www.ign.com/articles/video-game-difficulty-accessibility-easy-mode-debate

I see a lot of journalists asking for games to be easier, yet I see very few disabled gamers arguing for games to just be made easier for them. Stop using disabled people or disability as a crutch to justify making games easier for journalists. Journalists who as shown above in the kotaku remarks; indicate that they will never be satisfied. What people with disabilities deserve are better tools. An easy mode is not the answer. Flexible options have already been found in many games and allowing the user to tailor their experience to their needs or tastes is infinitely more appealing I think for all parties involved. It is also an area where I feel Nintendo could do more.

 

[Killua5]

I think there is nothing wrong about having an easy mode or more accesibility features and I think it is fine to talk about the topic because in general I think it can only bring good things and make gaming possible for more people around the world. But I also think that not every dev needs to scrutinized for not bringing it. All these features also takes time and these days game development itself is not easy and takes years to just make a game and with satisfiying performance. Making these features as well a good easy mode also takes additional time/support/money.

I know people who didn't touch Fire Emblem until it got the casual mode introduced. Personally, I stayed with the 'classic' mode. On the other hand, I won't lie but I did use that new 'rewind' mechanic sometimes. These days I just don't have time to repeat a whole chapter because of a mistake like I could in primary/high school.

 

[Bowser-Is-My-Father]

I'm just reeling from the 'child as disability' thing.

If your child is running around with a fork, you probably shouldn't be playing Elden Ring. Hell, if your child is awake, you probably shouldn't be playing Elden Ring - that shit is demanding.

 

[bpapa2016]

As a:

- Parent of young kids
- Parent of a kid with a permanent disability
- Gamer
- Somebody who spends a lot of time thinking about accessibility at work (if you’re building mobile apps, you have to)

I have a lot of thoughts here!

In short tho:
- Don’t kill the messenger, “situational disability” as a term has been around for awhile and yes, trying to play a video game with a kid running around counts

- I’m not sure how I feel about the term itself. It does seem to belittle in some cases, but in others it’s quite valid - like, “I can’t play video games the way I want because of my kid” trivializes it. Vs. “I can’t hold the door open to get into the store to buy my kid milk because I am holding said kid in one arm because I can’t leave them in the car” seems a bit more substantive.

- In general, you should hold the door open for that person! Also, you should make games pausible.

 

[Redfield64]

I'm a big fan of difficulty options in general, though it's very much up to developers if having these options is part of their vision for the game and how they want their audience to experience it.

Miyazaki and his team and From Soft have always wanted the Souls games to be a challenge that the player can overcome and feel accomplished by. They shouldn't be pressured into altering the game experience in a way they don't want to.

By contrast, Hideki Kamiya liked adding lots of difficulty options to his games like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, including a "Easy Automatic" mode that does the big combos automatically for you. He liked the idea that anyone of any skill level could enjoy his games, but he also hoped that they would replay again on higher difficulties and improve their skills as they went.

You've also got simple inputs and auto combo options for recent fighting games like Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8.

I think Larian Studios did a tremendous job bringing a wide variety or difficulty options to Divinity: Original Sin 2, one of my favourite RPG's that I'm currently replaying again. Having all these options to cater to different players needs and abilities was part of their vision for the game.
You've got:

Story Mode - a very forgiving casual mode, including things like infinite resurrection spells, easy combat and less enemies
Explorer Mode - easy mode
Classic Mode - the "standard" mode
Tactician Mode - hard
Honour Mode - hard, but with added permadeath that will delete your save when you die!

I'll also put my hands up and admit that I wouldn't be nearly as much into recent Fire Emblem games if they wasn't any Casual option. Permadeath would be a frustrating turn off for me.

 

[mlqc82]

On the one hand a child being considered a “situational disability” is pretty ridiculous

On the other hand she’s fine AF so I will allow it.

 

[justin6d]

On the one hand a child being considered a “situational disability” is pretty ridiculous

On the other hand she’s fine AF so I will allow it.

 

[Wes68]

I think there is nothing wrong about having an easy mode or more accesibility features and I think it is fine to talk about the topic because in general I think it can only bring good things and make gaming possible for more people around the world. But I also think that not every dev needs to scrutinized for not bringing it. All these features also takes time and these days game development itself is not easy and takes years to just make a game and with satisfiying performance. Making these features as well a good easy mode also takes additional time/support/money.

I know people who didn't touch Fire Emblem until it got the casual mode introduced. Personally, I stayed with the 'classic' mode. On the other hand, I won't lie but I did use that new 'rewind' mechanic sometimes. These days I just don't have time to repeat a whole chapter because of a mistake like I could in primary/high school.

I think that's a balanced take. It should be up to the devs if they feel it aligns with their vision for the game. I again am impressed that someone who is actually disabled can stomp a boss where I probably even struggle lol.

I'm just reeling from the 'child as disability' thing.

If your child is running around with a fork, you probably shouldn't be playing Elden Ring. Hell, if your child is awake, you probably shouldn't be playing Elden Ring - that shit is demanding.

Yeah, I can't imagine any parent realistically saying their child is a disability. Imagine applying for a handicapped parking permit and they ask you what your disability is and you tell them "Oh I have a child."

As a:

- Parent of young kids
- Parent of a kid with a permanent disability
- Gamer
- Somebody who spends a lot of time thinking about accessibility at work (if you’re building mobile apps, you have to)

I have a lot of thoughts here!

In short tho:
- Don’t kill the messenger, “situational disability” as a term has been around for awhile and yes, trying to play a video game with a kid running around counts

- I’m not sure how I feel about the term itself. It does seem to belittle in some cases, but in others it’s quite valid - like, “I can’t play video games the way I want because of my kid” trivializes it. Vs. “I can’t hold the door open to get into the store to buy my kid milk because I am holding said kid in one arm because I can’t leave them in the car” seems a bit more substantive.

- In general, you should hold the door open for that person! Also, you should make games pausible.

I can't imagine the difficulty of having a child that has a disability to start with. That alone is a situation many folks can't relate too. But you love them just the same. (Our neighbors had two young boys who were both paralyzed from the waist down). They were in power chairs most of their lives. The one lived to 30 or so. They still have the other. The amount of things they did for those kids really highlighted how much they cared. They even took them deer hunting.

Maybe Alanah's intent/heart was in the right place. But, I do not really think that calling a child in this context a disability to be particularly great. It just makes it sound like the kid is being used as an excuse. Even if you have a kid sure your life may be busier with other responsibilities. I just don't feel that; that in and of itself is the same as having an actual physical disability. It kind of diminishes the struggles someone has with day to day living because of an actual physical or mental disability.

I can see what you are saying but even then most doors are automated these days (at least in the case of a supermarket). But I get what you are saying in that regard, I just find calling having a kid as a disability to be kind of one of those things that most people are going to have a hard time agreeing with.

I'm a big fan of difficulty options in general, though it's very much up to developers if having these options is part of their vision for the game and how they want their audience to experience it.

Miyazaki and his team and From Soft have always wanted the Souls games to be a challenge that the player can overcome and feel accomplished by. They shouldn't be pressured into altering the game experience in a way they don't want to.

By contrast, Hideki Kamiya liked adding lots of difficulty options to his games like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, including a "Easy Automatic" mode that does the big combos automatically for you. He liked the idea that anyone of any skill level could enjoy his games, but he also hoped that they would replay again on higher difficulties and improve their skills as they went.

You've also got simple inputs and auto combo options for recent fighting games like Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8.

I think Larian Studios did a tremendous job bringing a wide variety or difficulty options to Divinity: Original Sin 2, one of my favourite RPG's that I'm currently replaying again. Having all these options to cater to different players needs and abilities was part of their vision for the game.
You've got:

Story Mode - a very forgiving casual mode, including things like infinite resurrection spells, easy combat and less enemies
Explorer Mode - easy mode
Classic Mode - the "standard" mode
Tactician Mode - hard
Honour Mode - hard, but with added permadeath that will delete your save when you die!

I'll also put my hands up and admit that I wouldn't be nearly as much into recent Fire Emblem games if they wasn't any Casual option. Permadeath would be a frustrating turn off for me.

I think that's what it comes down to. Disabled gamers aren't inherently asking for an easy mode. But that isn't to say that a game can't have options that make the game more flexible for a player's specific needs/wants.

I think back to the likes of Total Biscuit and FOV sliders. (Something more games should have IMO).

Elden Ring is already pretty well served by a number of subtle tweaks that benefit gamers of all stripes. The stakes of Marika reduce the run back. Runes allow you to level up (and can be farmed). You can find more flasks, you can use summons. In Alexx's video response to Alanah she raises how some people will argue that if you used summons etc. you didn't beat the game. Alexx points out if you used summon like the mimic? You beat the game. You were using tools the game provided to you.

And Larian is a good example. They have a variety of options. Again being story centric games a player can enjoy the story. But the other options are there for those that want more of a challenge. Same with BG3.

And Fire Emblem absolutely I think benefitted from greater difficulty options. Especially in that Iwata asks where some of the devs found that permadeath was off putting. But they didn't remove that central experience many fans liked.

 

[gencid]

I think she knows she's having a hot take to drive the point hard (and for clicks) and Wes did it too.

Developers want to make a certain game and will stick by their vision. So they don't care if the game doesn't appeal to everyone for various reasons, including difficulty.

I always side with providing options is better than limiting options, so I will never fault people that want easy modes on games. I don't have to put a lot of work to enjoy a movie or TV show, just the time. Why should gaming be any different?

I don't have an issue with most From Software games as they teach you how to play by design. But I had a big issue with Returnal and it made me learn that I absolutely hate rogue likes. There was no good reason for starting from zero on that game, or having no solid checkpoints. That game had a lot of potential and developers made their bed by catering to a minority of gamers and even doubling down in future updates.

So to summarize, options are always better than lack of options, no matter what developers think or want to do. And telling people to "git gud" is juvenile and a childish response that doesn't help anyone, let alone solve the issue.

 

[Wes68]

I think she knows she's having a hot take to drive the point hard (and for clicks) and Wes did it too.

Developers want to make a certain game and will stick by their vision. So they don't care if the game doesn't appeal to everyone for various reasons, including difficulty.

I always side with providing options is better than limiting options, so I will never fault people that want easy modes on games. I don't have to put a lot of work to enjoy a movie or TV show, just the time. Why should gaming be any different?

I don't have an issue with most From Software games as they teach you how to play by design. But I had a big issue with Returnal and it made me learn that I absolutely hate rogue likes. There was no good reason for starting from zero on that game, or having no solid checkpoints. That game had a lot of potential and developers made their bed by catering to a minority of gamers and even doubling down in future updates.

So to summarize, options are always better than lack of options, no matter what developers think or want to do. And telling people to "git gud" is juvenile and a childish response that doesn't help anyone, let alone solve the issue.

I agree with a lot of what you said. But I think people are a bit too easily offended if the idea of "Git gud" is offputting. I think in general the way anyone improves is to "git gud." It may sound juvenile or childish. But honestly it really boils down to essentially the age old mantra of...

practice, practice, practice. I do think there is a trend in games where people want things given to them on a silver platter. A lot of us grew up with the expressions like "Nintendo hard" (no that isn't a sexual euphemism). Hell we grew up getting berated by Cranky Kong essentially taunting us telling us what it was like back in his day.

• "You kids today! You don't have any respect for your elders!"
• "We never had movement like this when I was in video games!"
• "All this fun can't be good for you!"
• "I bet they wasted half the memory already, just on this section alone!"
• "They can't keep this level of graphics up for much longer!"
• "We used to be lucky if we got three shades of gray, let alone any real colors!"
• "We used to have to survive with a two frame walk!"
• "Sometimes our sprites used to change size for no apparent reason!"
• "We never had any of this fancy 3-D stuff! Oh no, we had to survive on what we had!"
• "And what little we did have, we were happy with!"
• "Well, I've never seen anything like it!"
• "Enjoy this demo while you can, it can't last much longer!"
• "That's right, 4 shades of gray, in a 2x2 character block, that's all we had..."
• "I can't play this game, the colors are all too rich for my poor old eyes!"
• "Why, even the bananas have more frames and colors than I had in the entire game!"
• "Look!...look at this!...as I rock, my beard swings! Waste of frames in my opinion!"
• "Aye! That was when we had real game play, that was!"
• "And this was developed with the latest state-of-the-art 3D workthingys, was it?"
• "The trouble with you kids, is that you're all too soft!"
• "The old games were far harder when I was a young 'un!"
• You wouldn't last two minutes in a real game!"
• "I could get through D.K.Country with only one life, easy!"
• "I'm talking about when games were games!"
• "3 lives and 3 continues, that's all we had!"

Git Gud is essentially the same as Cranky telling us we are too soft. Heck next thing you know the PC police will be wanting to make Cranky less...well Cranky.

And the irony is that games can explicitly tell someone (even another game dev) what they need to do...but they ignore it and then rant like an idiot how the game devs are bush league.

The game can literally tell the player what to do and yet this industry icon David Jaffe...got his cheeks clapped by a wall. Jaffe tried playing Metroid like it was Mega Man not even bothering to aim (which the game tells you how). Then he got ass mad when he got called out for his bad take. That's not even a "Git Gud" issue. That's stop being a dumbass and blaming the game for your piss poor reading comprehension.

In playing Elden Ring if you get more flasks, get more gear, level up, defeat a boss, learn the mechanics? That's called getting good. Even if you look at Metroid Dread? If Jaffe beat that wall? He too would have "Got Gud". Anyone can git gud if they are patient and willing. Even the young man I posted about above Broly Legs, he didn't let a disability prevent him from playing games and he "got good" by overcoming not only his disability but through perseverance and practice within the game. I don't think "Git Gud" should have the negative connotation it has. Taking on any boss in a game that challenges you and finally overcoming that boss is getting good.

 

[e1622]

They should make the game exactly how they feel is right .It’s selling great and an amazing game , having a pause button would take away from the experience for me.

Also "It counts as a disability where Elden Ring is concerned if you have a kid. You have a 2 year old and you are trying to play Elden Ring, you can't pause. That's a situational disability. You may need to pause to stop your kid from putting a fork into a power outlet."


It’s not a disability, but it is a disadvantage. But I hope fromsoft just keeps making games exactly how they want too.

 

[jman1115]

We have to stop give ng these people attention. This is how art and creativity get sterilized. You will never please everyone. Some games are easy. Some games are hard. Some games have males. Others females. Some are linear. Some are open. Some appeal to x demographic. Other to y.

The reality was a that the world is full of diverse interests and opinions. If you try to make everything for everyone, you end up making everything for no one.

 

[e1622]

We have to stop give ng these people attention. This is how art and creativity get sterilized. You will never please everyone. Some games are easy. Some games are hard. Some games have males. Others females. Some are linear. Some are open. Some appeal to x demographic. Other to y.

The reality was a that the world is full of diverse interests and opinions. If you try to make everything for everyone, you end up making everything for no one.

Yep I’m over it I really try to ignore these people lately lol

They seem to want a world that I find horrible and bland .

They are just losers with nothing better to do than make up problems.

I hope they are happy because of their extreme left attitudes , the world is going in the opposite direction and people are tired of being told what to do and what’s right and wrong . And you need to do this or your a bad person .

The online crazies don’t seem to understand that America has a whole is actually pretty moderate and even quite a bit closer to the right when you talk to everyday people and what they think about modern issues.

 

[SuperTrainStationH]

We have to stop give ng these people attention. This is how art and creativity get sterilized. You will never please everyone. Some games are easy. Some games are hard. Some games have males. Others females. Some are linear. Some are open. Some appeal to x demographic. Other to y.

The reality was a that the world is full of diverse interests and opinions. If you try to make everything for everyone, you end up making everything for no one.

No.

Mario Party 2 literally had "handicap" options above and beyond 20 years ago, and that was far from a "hardcore" game to begin with.

We need to stop as though anything that risks including people who are in any way less able to participate something at a high level, or even at a typical level, like it was part of a revolutionary agenda that was devised on Tumblr in 2019 to stop the rights from "normal" people.

If anyone thinks it's an "extreme left attitude" as @e1622 puts it, that developers provide options that provide as many people as possible with option that make games accessible to them, it says far more about them than the developers, and I sure hope they aren't the ones complaining with mainstreamers outside the game industry insist that video games are an esoteric hobby for a handful of antisocial partisans and not an art form and past time that anyone can enjoy.

 

[Bowser-Is-My-Father]

What's an 'extreme left' anyway?

 

[SuperTrainStationH]

What's an 'extreme left' anyway?

Apparently its when people who aren't "normal" are discussed or presented in any positive context.

I'm seriously really not interested in this line of discussion, but its consistent that if someone who isn't "normal" in ANY sense gets mentioned, even in passing, this inevitably gets brought up by others on the Nintendo Lobby at the earliest opportunity, and its really stupid that merely existing while not fitting into an extremely specific and exclusive description is treated as a statement of political affiliation these days.

 

[e1622]

What's an 'extreme left' anyway?

Do you know what the extreme right is ?
It’s just like them , except on different issues

It’s a small extreme part of a party that does not represent the party or the voting people as a whole.

It’s a section of people on both sides pushing an agenda that does not represent the vast majority of the United States population at all.

No.

Mario Party 2 literally had "handicap" options above and beyond 20 years ago, and that was far from a "hardcore" game to begin with.

We need to stop as though anything that risks including people who are in any way less able to participate something at a high level, or even at a typical level, like it was part of a revolutionary agenda that was devised on Tumblr in 2019 to stop the rights from "normal" people.

If anyone thinks it's an "extreme left attitude" as @e1622 puts it, that developers provide options that provide as many people as possible with option that make games accessible to them, it says far more about them than the developers, and I sure hope they aren't the ones complaining with mainstreamers outside the game industry insist that video games are an esoteric hobby for a handful of antisocial partisans and not an art form and past time that anyone can enjoy.

Well luckily elden rings developer have final say and can do what they want .
If they wanna add a pause button, that’s fine too as long as it’s not because they were shamed into it or added it because of some sort of financial pressure from an outside entity.

Ohh no I had to go do something so my character died boo whoo just load your save file .

Having a kid is not a disability. It’s essential to the continuation of the species and somthing almost everybody has.

 

[jman1115]

No.

Mario Party 2 literally had "handicap" options above and beyond 20 years ago, and that was far from a "hardcore" game to begin with.

We need to stop as though anything that risks including people who are in any way less able to participate something at a high level, or even at a typical level, like it was part of a revolutionary agenda that was devised on Tumblr in 2019 to stop the rights from "normal" people.

If anyone thinks it's an "extreme left attitude" as @e1622 puts it, that developers provide options that provide as many people as possible with option that make games accessible to them, it says far more about them than the developers, and I sure hope they aren't the ones complaining with mainstreamers outside the game industry insist that video games are an esoteric hobby for a handful of antisocial partisans and not an art form and past time that anyone can enjoy.

This was a dramatic. Developers should be allowed to make what they want. I didn't say anything about some agenda. I work a job where I work for thousands of people and understand what happens when you try to make everything for everyone.

Let artists do the art they want. Let them make the games and music they want. If someone doesn't like their vision there are plenty of games that you can play.

I fucking suck at rhythm games. I have no rhythm. Music is not something I am good at. There is zero expectation that someone making a complex rhythm game super easy for me.

Just let people be themselves when creating things and if you don't like it, find something else. Not every game has to represent you. Speak to you. Be playable by you.

There will always be companies that make games that fit that bill and if someone doesn't think there is enough of those, they can pursue making a company that does. Not every company has to be the same and not every game has to be for everyone. This is life and it's okay.

I wear size 14 shoes and have to special order mine. It sucks. I can't just walk into a store and find what I want when I want in my size but it's okay. There aren't many people like me so it makes sense they don't sock the shelves with shoes for me. Here there they will have them and that's cool.

That doesn't mean you can't do simple things. Accessibility options in controls is not what I'm talking about.

 

[neo_bahamut1889]

It's her own damn fault for having kids, considering kids as a disability just makes you a dumbass lol

 

[Bowser-Is-My-Father]

I need to look up examples of the extreme left, as the concept baffles me a bit. The 'extreme right' (I'm guessing that's a step above 'far right' and not exactly synonymous) I am very familiar with, but I'm struggling to picture what the 'extreme left' actually looks like lol.

Politics has never been a strong point, too much trauma from the Thatcher days had me switch off

 

[e1622]

I need to look up examples of the extreme left, as the concept baffles me a bit. The 'extreme right' (I'm guessing that's a step above 'far right' and not exactly synonymous) I am very familiar with, but I'm struggling to picture what the 'extreme left' actually looks like lol.

Politics has never been a strong point, too much trauma from the Thatcher days had me switch off

Far and extreme left and right are the same just different term ,

It’s an American thing mostly as the parties are way different here anyways this stuff is not a big deal really , just an annoying.

Off the internet people are just working hard everyday dealing with inflation . Most people could care less about these issues .

The big problem is a old 3 bedroom house here in Bellevue Washington costs 1.2 million dollars

And a thing of Nesquick chocolate milk cost seven dollars it is used to be 2 bucks

Shit, even in Texas houses went from 130,000 to 500,000 in the last few years .

 

[gmcube]

I mean, I agree that having a kid is a disability of sorts. They take up so much of your time, effort, money, resources. It's why I don't currently plan on having them. I'd want to be a proper parent, and I don't think I'd have the bandwidth to do so and follow larger goals and or have a fulfilling life outside of them.

Having said all that, I don't think it's fair to dock points off a game for not designing around them all the time.

 

[jman1115]

I mean, I agree that having a kid is a disability of sorts. They take up so much of your time, effort, money, resources. It's why I don't currently plan on having them. I'd want to be a proper parent, and I don't think I'd have the bandwidth to do so and follow larger goals and or have a fulfilling life outside of them.

Having said all that, I don't think it's fair to dock points off a game for not designing around them all the time.

No. Stop distorting words. Having kids is in no way a disability. We need to stop conflating and muddying words which happens way too often today. Words have meanings. A disability is not something you choose and it isn't external and anyone who has kids that refers to them as a disability probably shouldn't have them.

I work with kids who have disabilities. I have family who are disabled. This is an absolute fucking insult to those people.

 

[neo_bahamut1889]

No. Stop distorting words. Having kids is in no way a disability. We need to stop conflating and muddying words which happens way too often today. Words have meanings. A disability is not something you choose and it isn't external and anyone who has kids that refers to them as a disability probably shouldn't have them.

I work with kids who have disabilities. I have family who are disabled. This is an absolute fucking insult to those people.

People who consider having kids as a disability should be forcibly sterilized and removed from the gene pool.

 

[Bowser-Is-My-Father]

Yeah, you have a disadvantage in the sense that you cannot readily play games as much as you would like. You have other priorities in life, and you either stack them accordingly or... Well, you make your choices and live through the consequences, lol. I'm not saying your own personal interests and passions shouldn't be up there (that's self care, after all), but your kids should absolutely be near the top, with your own physical and mental wellbeing just above that (because if you can't be there for yourself, then you can't be there for them).

My kids aren't a 'disability'. My ADHD is a disability. My fybromyalgia is a disability. This lady is absolutely right to be roasted, and I won't hear this 'situational disabilty' nonsense from her. Focus on your kids, gaming shouldn't even be a close second. If it's your job, then arrange childcare. If you can't get the childcare, then you need to adapt or move on. I regularly have to do my job with one child chewing my ear off and the other demanding a sandwich, lol.

 

[bpapa2016]

So this thread is in a weird spot right now because we’re litigating the term “situational disability”. But that’s a term that has nothing to do with this thread, Alanah, or even gaming, it was defined in the larger field of UX (User Experience).

Like I said earlier, as somebody who is living with a situation with a REAL disability in my life, I’m not sure about how I feel about the term. But even if I had a hard stance I don’t think this is the place to take it, lol.

Ultimately though games should be more accessible in many ways, particularly Nintendo’s. My younger daughter (the one who has a disability) currently can’t hold a controller, she may be able to some day. My older daughter is more on the situational side, she doesn’t want to play Super Mario Bros. Wonder with me because she can’t play as Daisy using Yoshi’s abilities.

Would be great if Nintendo could keep players like my daughters in mind.

 

[jman1115]

So this thread is in a weird spot right now because we’re litigating the term “situational disability”. But that’s a term that has nothing to do with this thread, Alanah, or even gaming, it was defined in the larger field of UX (User Experience).

Like I said earlier, as somebody who is living with a situation with a REAL disability in my life, I’m not sure about how I feel about the term. But even if I had a hard stance I don’t think this is the place to take it, lol.

Ultimately though games should be more accessible in many ways, particularly Nintendo’s. My younger daughter (the one who has a disability) currently can’t hold a controller, she may be able to some day. My older daughter is more on the situational side, she doesn’t want to play Super Mario Bros. Wonder with me because she can’t play as Daisy using Yoshi’s abilities.

Would be great if Nintendo could keep players like my daughters in mind.

I know xbox doesn't have a lot of great games for kids like Nintendo does, but I do recall they have specific controllers that were designed for disabled people.

Would something like that work for her?

Have you found any options to help her?

 

[Bowser-Is-My-Father]

So this thread is in a weird spot right now because we’re litigating the term “situational disability”. But that’s a term that has nothing to do with this thread, Alanah, or even gaming, it was defined in the larger field of UX (User Experience)

Well, she shouldn't have used the term then:

We are absolutely within out rights to discuss it in this context.

 

[jman1115]

Well, she shouldn't have used the term then:

View attachment 1205506

We are absolutely within out rights to discuss it in this context.

Its just another example of people using a word that has a powerful meaning to convey a minor inconvenience. When teachers first got introduced to how trauma effects student behaviors and the brain, suddenly every student who cried or had an inconvenience was being "traumatized". We need to stop diluting these words. Its gotten to a point where people who have had a minor inconvenience will try to put themselves on the same level as a rape victim. This stuff always starts out fringe and then it catches on because it nets you attention when you say you have "trauma" and there are always grifters looking to exploit this stuff like she is doing here.

I have a 14 and an 11 year old and yes it is a lot of work. Yes I had to sacrifice things but they were a choice and are a blessing in my life. With the way she is butchering this term, literally everything can be considered a disability. I work 60-70 hours a week and have a work phone. I guess when my workphone goes off at home I have a situational disability right?

A situational or temporary disability would be like having a broken leg. I have to run 504 plans for these types of things. This lady is completely abusing the word and dramatizing what literally every parent has to go through. Its called being a parent. Not a disability.

 

[gmcube]

No. Stop distorting words. Having kids is in no way a disability. We need to stop conflating and muddying words which happens way too often today. Words have meanings. A disability is not something you choose and it isn't external and anyone who has kids that refers to them as a disability probably shouldn't have them.

I work with kids who have disabilities. I have family who are disabled. This is an absolute fucking insult to those people.

Distortion in language happens all the time, look at the words we used in the past, the r word, handicapped, etc. these words eventually fall into nonmedical usage, then they decide they need a new word.

I understand there are a medical/technical reasons we use the term and that there are fields where it would not be appropriate. In a casual conversation, though? Consider it a metaphor if you need to, I will continue to think of them as form of disability in a broad sense.

 

[jman1115]

Distortion in language happens all the time, look at the words we used in the past, the r word, handicapped, etc. these words eventually fall into nonmedical usage, then they decide they need a new word.

I understand there are a medical/technical reasons we use the term and that there are fields where it would not be appropriate. In a casual conversation, though? Consider it a metaphor if you need to, I will continue to think of them as form of disability in a broad sense.

That's not an excuse for this behavior. It's a big reason why there is a lot of toxicity and drama today in our culture. It's not acceptable and it is an incorrect usage of the word. Kids aren't a disability. Being a parent isn't a disability. Period. Doesn't matter how you feel.

 

[neo_bahamut1889]

She's a fucking idiot lol

 

[e1622]

Distortion in language happens all the time, look at the words we used in the past, the r word, handicapped, etc. these words eventually fall into nonmedical usage, then they decide they need a new word.

I understand there are a medical/technical reasons we use the term and that there are fields where it would not be appropriate. In a casual conversation, though? Consider it a metaphor if you need to, I will continue to think of them as form of disability in a broad sense.

None of that matters .the fact is Having kids is in no way a disability . By that rationale 90 percent of the people on earth are disabled I guess

It can be an inconvenience but that’s it .

Society is getting so weird with this stuff .

 

[gmcube]

By that rationale 90 percent of the people on earth are disabled I guess

And?

 

[CokeMachineGlow]

My wife went on disability after she gave birth. The state paid 60% of her salary while she was out on leave.

 

[e1622]

And?

so everyone is disabled ok gotta cha .

My wife went on disability after she gave birth. The state paid 60% of her salary while she was out on leave.

Giving birth can cause issues if there are complications or Post pardon depression and such .


But that’s different than having a kid running around while you’re playing video games .

One awesome thing is here in Washington the husband gets like 4 or 6 months paternity leave as well which is super cool

But If you have a super young baby you should be worried about the baby not video games or your character dying because you can’t pause

I also wouldn’t recommend a game like Elden ring when you’re already stressed out
.

 

[bpapa2016]

I know xbox doesn't have a lot of great games for kids like Nintendo does, but I do recall they have specific controllers that were designed for disabled people.

View attachment 1205407


Would something like that work for her?

Have you found any options to help her?

Yeah I've seen this before and it's something we'll probably look at in the future. She's still quite young, so maybe in a couple of years. Meantime we've been messing with various accessibility settings on her iPad, and even got a new thing from her school that is a sort of guide to help her hit touch targets more accurately, she has a lot of problems with fine motor skills. Pretty lucky at least on the Apple side since we're all in on their tech and they are the best in class when it comes to accessibility.

Well, she shouldn't have used the term then:

View attachment 1205506

We are absolutely within out rights to discuss it in this context.

I mean OK? Lol. I read it, I don't get what posting the quote again does. My point is that Alanah didn't coin the term "situational disability" nor is she using that term incorrectly. If you don't like the term, IDK why you need to go on and on about it here, isn't gonna change anything. It would be like if somebody posted a thread asking what your favorite Metroidvania game is, and somebody else came in and went on and on about how they don't like the term "Metroidvania". I mean, it's an accepted thing to say in a particular community. So is "situational disability".

 

[CokeMachineGlow]

Giving birth can cause issues if there are complications or Post pardon depression and such .


But that’s different than having a kid running around while you’re playing video games .

One awesome thing is here in Washington the husband gets like 4 or 6 months paternity leave as well which is super cool

But If you have a super young baby you should be worried about the baby not video games or your character dying because you can’t pause

I also wouldn’t recommend a game like Elden ring when you’re already stressed out
.

FMLA guarantees your job all across the country for 12 weeks. I did that plus NY Paid Family Leave, which paid me a large percentage of my salary for I want to say 10 weeks. So my wife took 12 weeks off, and then when hers were up I took my 2 weeks vacation, then had my 12 weeks FMLA kick in at the same time as paid family leave. Then we got trump socialist money handout which helped us buy a new rug and recliner.

 

[bpapa2016]

FMLA guarantees your job all across the country for 12 weeks. I did that plus NY Paid Family Leave, which paid me a large percentage of my salary for I want to say 10 weeks. So my wife took 12 weeks off, and then when hers were up I took my 2 weeks vacation, then had my 12 weeks FMLA kick in at the same time as paid family leave. Then we got trump socialist money handout which helped us buy a new rug and recliner.

My wife is a baller. She took two big maternity leaves after the birth of both of our kids... and then at the end of both of them she quit her job and got a new one, lol. Stickin it to THE MAN.

For our first kid, I got a "fairly generous for the father in 2019" 4 week leave, and I could break it up. So I did 2 when the baby was born, and then 2 more when my wife finished maternity leave to go for her new job.

When my second kid was born, I had just been laid off, so I didn't get any leave technically speaking (I wound up returning to the workforce about 2 months later). Stressful time! A whole pandemic thing, and serious issues like "where the heck is Metroid Prime 4?" and "just what is Nintendo doing exactly to celebrate Mario's 35th anniversary?"

I know xbox doesn't have a lot of great games for kids like Nintendo does, but I do recall they have specific controllers that were designed for disabled people.

Oh yeah one more thing! An "inclusive language" note. Since this is a safe space and I mean it with all due respect, you should say "person with a disability" instead of "disabled people". I would have said the same thing a few years ago, quite honestly. But I've come to learn that the idea is that you don't want to imply that the person is defined by their disability, just that they are living with one.

 

[kobeskillz]

I'm just reeling from the 'child as disability' thing.

If your child is running around with a fork, you probably shouldn't be playing Elden Ring. Hell, if your child is awake, you probably shouldn't be playing Elden Ring - that shit is demanding.

She’s stupid. If I’m playing Mario Kart 8 online where I can’t pause and my kid got a hold of a machete then mmmm I’m taking the L for that race.

She’s always been a high horse person. Thinking her opinion is better.

 

[Bowser-Is-My-Father]

I mean OK? Lol. I read it, I don't get what posting the quote again does. My point is that Alanah didn't coin the term "situational disability" nor is she using that term incorrectly. If you don't like the term, IDK why you need to go on and on about it here, isn't gonna change anything. It would be like if somebody posted a thread asking what your favorite Metroidvania game is, and somebody else came in and went on and on about how they don't like the term "Metroidvania". I mean, it's an accepted thing to say in a particular community. So is "situational disability".

Because I disagree with what she said, and I have every right to? Having a kid isn't a 'situational disability', period. As a parent, I would never describe having children as a 'situational disability', and I say that as a 'person with disability'. It's ridiculous. They are a priority, not a 'situational disability'. That's a crock of shit.

"Oh no, I can't go out and get shit faced because I have kids and am situationally disabled", or "Oh no, I can't zone out and watch endless YouTube reels because my kids are crying, I'm situationally disabled"... "Oh no, I can't play games..." - doesn't sound right, does it?

I don't know why you feel the need to try and snuff out the discourse. You said the term had nothing to do with the subject at hand, and you are wrong. Ergo, I underpinned that with the quote If you don't like what's being discussed, disagree and move on.

 

[e1622]

FMLA guarantees your job all across the country for 12 weeks. I did that plus NY Paid Family Leave, which paid me a large percentage of my salary for I want to say 10 weeks. So my wife took 12 weeks off, and then when hers were up I took my 2 weeks vacation, then had my 12 weeks FMLA kick in at the same time as paid family leave. Then we got trump socialist money handout which helped us buy a new rug and recliner.

Nice!! That’s awesome !!

Oh yeah one more thing! An "inclusive language" note. Since this is a safe space and I mean it with all due respect, you should say "person with a disability" instead of "disabled people". I would have said the same thing a few years ago, quite honestly. But I've come to learn that the idea is that you don't want to imply that the person is defined by their disability, just that they are living with one.

Lolol this is the only proper way to speak

 

[Thesuffering]

I need to look up examples of the extreme left, as the concept baffles me a bit. The 'extreme right' (I'm guessing that's a step above 'far right' and not exactly synonymous) I am very familiar with, but I'm struggling to picture what the 'extreme left' actually looks like lol.

Politics has never been a strong point, too much trauma from the Thatcher days had me switch off

Just take extreme right wing examples and flip it to get the extreme left version of it.

Abortion for example:
Extreme right: No abortions ever.
Extreme left: You can abort even after they are born.

On Gender:
Extreme right: Gay people don't exist.
Extreme right: Minor Attracted Persons(maps) is a real gender and are normal people.



But back on topic, I took a week to sort through my anger at her comment... I am still angry. What she said is so repulsive. Imagine her child when he/she finds out that that her mother thought of her as a disability. Absolutely repulsive. Hope she misspoke. Revolting.

 

[bpapa2016]

Having a kid isn't a 'situational disability', period

Except that it is, by the definition of “situational disability” which has nothing to do with games, this thread, or your (or anybody else’s) opinion.

 

[Bowser-Is-My-Father]

Except that it is, by the definition of “situational disability” which has nothing to do with games, this thread, or your (or anybody else’s) opinion.

Bollocks. I don't give a fuck what she says, nor what Microsoft (or anyone else) has to say on the matter. It's not even remotely a disability in this sense, situational or otherwise, it's a shift in priorities. You choose to prioritise your child over your luxury hobby, or you choose not to.

And again, this thread was based around what she said, so it absolutely has everything to do with that.

 

[bpapa2016]

Bollocks. I don't give a fuck what she says, nor what Microsoft (or anyone else) has to say on the matter. It's not even remotely a disability in this sense, situational or otherwise, it's a shift in priorities. You choose to prioritise your child over your luxury hobby, or you choose not to.

And again, this thread was based around what she said, so it absolutely has everything to do with that.

Probably should take it to the userway.org forums, lol. https://userway.org/blog/how-situational-disabilities-impact-us-all/

 

[jman1115]

Bollocks. I don't give a fuck what she says, nor what Microsoft (or anyone else) has to say on the matter. It's not even remotely a disability in this sense, situational or otherwise, it's a shift in priorities. You choose to prioritise your child, or you choose not to.

And again, this thread was based around what she said, so it absolutely has everything to do with that.

He is referring to yet another new "term" that has popped up in recent years by people looking for attention. These people literally call not being able to see your phone in the sun as a "temporary disability". This is exactly what I described earlier around trauma. It is grifters looking to exploit something and running with things that technically meet the definition.

A true situational disability is something that can get you what is called a 504 plan. These can be given for permanent or situational disabilities and are defined as conditions that impair a major life function. There is a list of major life functions. Having to pause your fucking game isn't impairing a major life function.

Having kids is a responsibility. Not a disability.
Not being able to see your phone is an inconvenience, not a disability.

This is just whiney bullshit that entitled kids are pushing to get attention. I guess we might as well call life a disability at this point. These people don't even realize how disrespectful and entitled this shit is when you call everything a disability, trauma, bigotry etc. They don't understand these terms and butcher them to make their common life circumstances in a first world country sound more horrific than they are.

"Oh I suffer from a temporary disability"
"Oh no man, I'm sorry, whats wrong dude?"
"I chose to have kids."

I mean shit like that used to be a dad joke. Now there are clowns saying these types of things seriously.

Probably should take it to the userway.org forums, lol. https://userway.org/blog/how-situational-disabilities-impact-us-all/

This is a blog post. This has no actual basis. There is no legal or medical substantiation of this idea. They literally call not seeing your phone in the sun a situational disability. These people literally just made up a term for every day inconveniences and responsibilities that sounds more dramatic.

 

[Bowser-Is-My-Father]

Probably should take it to the userway.org forums, lol. https://userway.org/blog/how-situational-disabilities-impact-us-all/

Nah.

This is a blog post. This has no actual basis. There is no legal or medical substantiation of this idea. They literally call not seeing your phone in the sun a situational disability. These people literally just made up a term for every day inconveniences and responsibilities that sounds more dramatic.

Agreed.

 

[bpapa2016]

This is a blog post. This has no actual basis. There is no legal or medical substantiation of this idea. They literally call not seeing your phone in the sun a situational disability. These people literally just made up a term for every day inconveniences and responsibilities that sounds more dramatic.

It’s not a blog post, but just a definition posted by a UX org.

My point isn’t that this a legal or medical thing, just that Alanah didn’t make this up or anything, lol. It’s something that people talk about outside the world of video games.

There are lots of terms used when discussing things like this. One thing to do as a guide is to search and see how many .orgs are posting about something rather than .coms.

One other thing is you can find an article including guidance on situational disabilities on digital.gov, which is part of the GSA. So I’d say it’s pretty fucking official, lol.

 

[jman1115]

It’s not a blog post, but just a definition posted by a UX org.

My point isn’t that this a legal or medical thing, just that Alanah didn’t make this up or anything, lol. It’s something that people talk about outside the world of video games.

There are lots of terms used when discussing things like this. One thing to do as a guide is to search and see how many .orgs are posting about something rather than .coms.

One other thing is you can find an article including guidance on situational disabilities on digital.gov, which is part of the GSA. So I’d say it’s pretty fucking official, lol.

A term that claims not being able to see your phone in the sun as a disability is a meaningless term and the only reason to use that phrase is for attention. There is no value to it. I can literally construe ANY inconvenience I want to fit that definition therefore the word is just silly. She was being dramatic.