Card Designs (from left): Wingspan Asia Prototype, Final Published, Vision-Friendly, Wyrmspan Creating accessible games requires designers, developers, and publishers to identify the presence of unintentional barriers and seek innovative solutions. In this article I share Stonemaier Games' efforts to reduce challenges for colorblind and low-vision players, including my role as a freelance proofreader and accessibility … Continue reading From Wingspan to Wyrmspan: An Accessibility Journey
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My Favorite Things: 2023
Brown paper packages tied up with strings... As 2023 comes to an end, I looked back on my board game experiences and anticipated the future. Consider this my personal gaming Year in Review! Changes in 2023 More Solo Plays. More than 70% of my games played this year were solo. Reasons include my lack of … Continue reading My Favorite Things: 2023
Colorblind Games Review | Disney Sidekicks
A Whole New World Gaming: Hobby and Mass Market Board gaming has often been described as a luxury hobby aimed at a dedicated and niche audience. "Hobby games" offer complex mechanisms, interesting tactical and strategic choices, and a learning curve that, once overcome, adds richness to the experience. Mass market games, by contrast, are typically … Continue reading Colorblind Games Review | Disney Sidekicks
Colorblind Games Preview | Nocturne
Night time is the right time... Welcome to the whimsical forest of Nocturne, where magical foxes collect enchanted items to earn prestige. A clever combination of spatial puzzle, bidding, area control, and set collection, Nocturne plays 1 to 4 players in about 45 minutes. It's designed by David Iezzi, illustrated by Beth Sobel, and published … Continue reading Colorblind Games Preview | Nocturne
Colorblind Games Review | Disney Lorcana
"In a spitting match nobody spits like Gaston." Introduction and Gameplay Disney Lorcana is a competitive trading card game designed by Ryan Miller and Steve Warner, and published by Ravensburger. It plays 2 to 6, with games lasting about 30 minutes. Disney Lorcana is set in the fantastical Walt Disney universe. Players will take on the … Continue reading Colorblind Games Review | Disney Lorcana
Colourblind Games Profile | Cat Pattie
Cat Pattie is a PhD student at Newcastle University working on colour blindness, with a particular focus on its impact on education. Alongside her academic research, Cat has collaborated with Jonathan Bradley (CBG profile) to produce The Blind Truth, an in-person and virtual exhibition that explores social stereotypes surrounding colour vision deficiency. Cat and Jon … Continue reading Colourblind Games Profile | Cat Pattie
A Buyer’s Guide to Visually Accessible Board Games
I am excited to welcome Sarah Reed back to share her experiences and recommendations to support board gamers with visual accessibility barriers. This is a follow-up to Sarah's previous essay on the topic, Supporting Blind Gamers. Sarah’s recent video essay, A Buyer's Guide for Visually Accessible Board Games, was featured on the Salt & Sass … Continue reading A Buyer’s Guide to Visually Accessible Board Games
Universal Colorblind Code?
Once a child "learns their colors," this new language allows them to communicate easier with others and better understand the world around them. In games, designers use this language to help players distinguish objects from one another. Those of us with color vision deficiencies are not fluent in this language, so we mitigate this communication … Continue reading Universal Colorblind Code?
Colorblind Games Profile | Peter McPherson
Peter McPherson and I first met during my review of Tiny Towns (CBG review). He provided a mini design diary, including the impacts of his own color vision deficiency on the game's design and development. Peter and I have stayed in touch since then, including at the SHUX 2022 conference where we teamed up to … Continue reading Colorblind Games Profile | Peter McPherson
Colorblind Games Review and Mod | Deep Dive
Accessibility TL;DR. I was unable to play Deep Dive without modifications due to the color combinations (pink and green for me) and lack of double-coding, though other colorblind players did not experience these issues. A few simple markups solved the problem for me. Introduction and Gameplay Overview Deep Dive is a push-your-luck set collection game … Continue reading Colorblind Games Review and Mod | Deep Dive