Design – Memory and Processing Information

Fortnite is a fast-paced game that requires simultaneous processing of incoming stimuli, such as tracking enemies, dodging skill shots, managing item slots, and building/editing structures. This cognitive demand for simultaneous information processing may overload cognitive capacity and interfere with working memory. In an attempt to reduce cognitive load on working memory, Fortnite implemented preferred item slots wherein players can assign weapons and consumables to a designated item slot (Figure 4). By having items automatically assigned to their preferred item slot immediately after acquiring a new item, players can divert their attention towards other aspects of gameplay. While this feature makes the game more accessible for individuals with memory impairments, it also improves the quality of life for all players.

Additionally, Fortnite has advanced video settings that can be used to adjust a variety of gameplay graphics such as resolution, shadows, effects, textures, and more. Enabling graphics customization not only improves a device’s performance, but it also allows players the ability to personalize their gameplay experience. For instance, Fortnite’s toggleable motion blur setting can be disabled to prevent nausea among players with motion sensitivity, or enabled to make animations more fluent for an enhanced player experience (Figure 5).  

However, Fortnite’s major fault in terms of cognitive accessibility is its lack of tutorial. While Fortnite launched a Tutorial mode for PC five years after the release of its Battle Royale game mode (Epps, 2022), it only familiarised players with basic movement and combat mechanics and is currently no longer available to play. Considering building is a novel and fundamental aspect of Fortnite’s Battle Royale, a lack of an official tutorial outlining the basics is an oversight. Learning all of Fortnite’s gameplay components such as movement, combat, and building can be extremely overwhelming to players, especially if they are new to the genre or have difficulties processing and learning new mechanics. While there are fan-made game modes that attempt to familiarise beginners with the basics of building, Fortnite has only initiated ‘contextual tips’ in lieu of an official tutorial (Figure 6).

Implementing a tutorial that allows players to learn the fundamental mechanics of a game at their own pace is essential for not only making the game more accessible, but also for improving player retention. A lack of clear gameplay goals and understanding of basic mechanics could lead to frustration among players, which undermines the player experience and may result in them leaving the game altogether.

Accessibility Overview:

✔      Gameplay controls can be completely re-mapped on both the keyboard and controller.

✔      Foot controllers are compatible, which reduces reliance on hand controls.

✔      Toggles and automation can be enabled for critical gameplay actions to reduce motor limitations or fatigue.

🗶       Foot controller bindings are limited and not fully supported as an independent alternative.

🗶       Controls are not compatible with alternative means (voice control, eye control).

Design – Control Mapping

In Fortnite’s settings menu, players have the ability to completely re-map all gameplay controls—from gyro options, sensitivity, movement, combat, building, and more—on a variety of input devices such as keyboards and controllers (Figure 1). Allowing players to select their preferred control mappings reduces barriers caused by motor disabilities and provides those without disabilities a more personalised gameplay experience.

For players with limited dexterity, it is important to be mindful of demands on mechanical inputs. Mechanics that require the player to tap the same button rapidly and continuously, tap a repetitive sequence of buttons, or hold a button over a long duration of time may be extremely difficult, tiring, or even impossible for players with a motor disability. As such, implementing toggles and reducing clicks eliminates barriers due to motor impairments. In Fortnite, players are able to toggle and sustain critical movements such as crouching, sprinting, and sliding simply by clicking a button once (Figure 2). Players can also automate other aspects of gameplay such as enabling auto open doors, auto pick up weapons, turbo building, auto confirm edits, and more. These simple features both reduce motor fatigue and frees up hands for other important inputs.

Figure 1. Fortnite’s Keyboard Control Bindings Screen

However, relying solely on hand inputs may disadvantage those with limited dexterity and fine motor movements. In the case of Fortnite, players have the option to enable a foot controller that they can use for a variety of gameplay actions such as driving vehicles, changing tools/weapons, or building (Figure 3). By bringing foot controllers into the game, it frees up players’ hands to simultaneously handle even more keyboard or controller inputs while also providing an equivalent alternative for players with limited mobility.

While the foot controller is useful for offloading hand-based inputs, it does not allow for a complete re-mapping of controls for full independent foot support. Implementing alternative ways to play the game (e.g., voice activated controls, eye movement controls) may help reduce physical boundaries restricting those with motor disabilities from full participation in play.

Design – Color Clarity

Visual clarity is an important aspect of game design, particularly for individuals with color blindness. Many games including Fortnite rely on color to relay important information, such as the rarity of items and weapons. To accommodate different types of color blindness, Fortnite allows players to choose their preferred setting from three different color blind modes: deuteranope, protanope, and tritanope (Figure 7).

While implementing color blind modes is a great first step for improving accessibility, there are many aspects of visual clarity that can still be improved in Fortnite. For instance, many of the weapons blend into the terrain as they share similar color schemes to that of pavement, grass, water, flooring, etc. (Figure 8). While weapons are illuminated by a faint glow, their visual clarity and contrast could be improved by implementing a more noticeable border or by introducing a sound effect (similar to loot chests) that guides players towards the weapon’s location. Combining both visual and auditory forms of display helps to accommodate players with visual limitations.

Similarly, it can be extremely difficult for players on the vision impaired spectrum to detect enemy players throughout the map due to low visual contrast. Given that there are a variety of characters players can purchase and play as in game, there is no consistent color scheme or silhouette distinguishing players from the terrain. This could be improved by implementing a contrast mode wherein players can be easily distinguished from the environment, similar to how Fortnite’s Thermal AR scope provides high levels of contrast between the player and terrain (Figure 9).

Design – Crosshairs

Crosshairs are an essential component of any first-person shooter, with many games allowing for crosshair customization. While crosshair customization is an important accessibility feature for those with visual impairments, all players have personal preferences for the size, shape, and color of their crosshairs. However, Fortnite does not have the option for players to customize their crosshairs—each crosshair differs depending on the gun, with its size and shape indicating the weapon’s precision.

While the fixed crosshair sizes and shapes are useful for representing actual hitbox affordances, this information is irrelevant if the crosshair cannot be seen. Due to the default white color of most crosshairs, it can easily get lost in the environment, especially in the winter terrain (Figure 10). Allowing players to customize the color and borders of the crosshairs while maintaining the integrity of the weapon’s hitbox would improve the visual clarity and gameplay experience for all players.

Design – Subtitles

Subtitles are an important accessibility feature for individuals on the vision impaired or deafness spectrum, particularly in story-based games that rely on narrative design. While Fortnite is not a story-based game, there are story elements that can be discovered through interactions with non-player characters (NPCs) and by completing quests. In Fortnite, players can interact with NPCs to purchase items, complete quests, or even recruit them to join a player’s squad in the fight for victory. These interactions often rely on text-based dialogue; however, some quests and in-game events make use of voice overs. While Fortnite has subtitle options with customizable text size, text color, text border, and background opacity (Figure 11), it is unclear what dialogue the subtitles are intended to capture. When interacting with the NPCs in game, the default subtitle settings are shown regardless of a player’s personalized settings (see Figure 11 and 12 for comparison). Further, subtitles do not appear at all during in-game events that make use of voice overs. Whether this is intended by design, customizable subtitles and text-based dialogue should be implemented for all in-game dialogue.

Additionally, font is an important accessibility consideration for individuals with dyslexia. Using sans serif fonts in game design, such as Arial and Comic Sans can help improve comprehension and readability as letters can appear less crowded. While sans serif fonts should be default by design, games that use serif fonts should allow players to customize font as well. 

Design – Visualize Sound Effects

In all first-person shooters, players rely on sound and audio cues to gain critical information on an enemy’s position and the direction of incoming fire. These audio cues are often subtle and unpredictable, which can make it difficult to pinpoint the source and direction of the sounds. As such, individuals on the deafness spectrum may struggle or fail to pick up these audio cues altogether.

To address this accessibility concern, Fortnite implemented one of my all-time favourite features: visualise sound effects. This feature visually displays both the source (e.g., footsteps) and the direction of the sound (relative to the player) in real-time as it is occurring (Figure 13). The visuals also differ in opacity depending on how far away the source of the sound is, with more opaque visuals indicating the source is nearby. In Fortnite, there are a variety of critical sound cues that alert players to footsteps, direction of fire, location of chests, nearby vehicles, deployed gliders, and more—players can visualise all of these cues by enabling the visualise sound effects feature. This feature is an excellent example of how multiple forms of display can be combined to support accessible design for all players.

Final Thoughts

Accessibility in games has drastically improved over the years, with many options available for individuals with motor, cognitive, visual, and auditory disabilities. However, we still have a long way to go in ensuring games are as accessible as possible. When designing with accessibility in mind, it is important to consider the diverse needs of all players. To make games more accessible for everyone, designers should utilise multiple forms of display in conceptualising features, such as communicating information through both visual and auditory cues. By making games more accessible, everyone can experience the joys of gaming to its fullest potential. Simply put, accessible design is universally good design. By reframing accessibility in games as a necessity rather than a consideration, games can truly reach their full potential and impact the lives of all players.

References

Buder, S., & Perry, R. (2023, April 12). The social model of disability explained. Retrieved December 15, 2023, from https://www.thesocialcreatures.org/thecreaturetimes/the-social-model-of-disability

Dicarlo, J. (2023, December 1). Fortnite has broken yet another record. Retrieved December 14, 2023, from https://gamerant.com/fortnite-record-100-million-players-november/

Epps, D. (2022, November 1). 5 years after launch, Fortnite on consoles finally has a tutorial. Retrieved December 15, 2023, from https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/fortnite-tutorial-mode-console-pc/

Nelson, M. (2023, December 7). The game awards 2023: Every announcement and winner from Xbox. Retrieved December 14, 2023, from https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2023/12/07/xbox-game-awards-2023/#:~:text=We're%20thrilled%20that%20Hi,Racing%20and%20Innovation%20in%20Accessibility.

Newzoo. (2023). Most popular PC games by monthly active users (MAU) – 37 markets. Retrieved December 14, 2023, from https://newzoo.com/resources/rankings/top-20-pc-games