If you go into the options menu for Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, you'll find a term that's relatively rare in video game menus, especially as an entire section: accessibility. Naughty Dog went out of its way to make Uncharted 4 accessible to as wide an audience as possible, and the effort began with a conversation between a developer at the studio and a gamer with a disability.
Uncharted 4 developers explain why they added accessibility options to the game
It’s worth the effort
Samit Sarkar (he/him) is Polygon’s deputy managing editor. He has more than 17 years of experience covering video games, movies, television, and technology.
Josh Straub is the editor-in-chief of DAGERS (Disabled Accessibility for Gaming Entertainment Rating System), a website that provides reviews of video games based on their accessibility features. In a video produced by Sony, Straub and Alexandria Neonakis, a user interface designer at Naughty Dog, told the heartbreaking story of his experience playing Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.
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“He loved Uncharted, huge Uncharted fan, couldn’t beat Uncharted 2 because there’s a series of doors you have to button-mash through at the end,” Neonakis explained.
Straub has a physical disability that limits the use of his hands and slows his reflexes.
“I was faced with the reality that I had played this entire game, I had spent $60 on it, and I could not get any further without the help of an able-bodied person,” said Straub. That experience was the impetus for founding DAGERS.
“I think video games, for a lot of people, are often about being able to do things that you wouldn’t normally be able to do — experience great adventures,” said Kevin Keeker, principal user experience researcher at PlayStation. “And so when you find that there are some people who can’t enjoy those things, it’s kind of crushing.”
Straub, who has also consulted with Ubisoft and Epic Games, advised Naughty Dog on including accessibility options in Uncharted 4. One of the settings in the accessibility section of the game’s options menu allows players to hold a button down in situations where they would normally have to tap the button repeatedly, such as melee combat and lifting heavy doors.
Emilia Schatz, lead game designer at Naughty Dog, explained that the studio also implemented some specialized design features to assist with accessibility. In Uncharted 4, camera movements when Nathan Drake is in cover and combat help highlight enemies. Players can also toggle a lock-on feature so that the aiming reticle will stick to a target. Naughty Dog paid attention to Uncharted 4’s multiplayer component, too. User interface scripter Andres Ortiz, who is colorblind, changed the team colors to red and blue instead of red and green.
“When I turn on a game like Uncharted, I’m not, you know, confined to a wheelchair,” said Straub. “I’m a swashbuckling, ne’er-do-well treasure hunter, like Nathan Drake. That brief period of escape is why accessibility is so crucial. Because the more games that offer that, the more people with disabilities will be able to escape and have better lives.”
Naughty Dog’s efforts paid off. In a review of Uncharted 4 on DAGERS, Straub — after disclosing that he consulted with Naughty Dog — gave the game his highest recommendation, calling it “completely barrier free” for players with visual, fine-motor or auditory disabilities.
“[Uncharted 4] represents a standard of accessibility that should be more wide spread within the gaming industry,” said Straub.
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