Celebrating the Game Accessibility Awards 2023
Diversity and Inclusion brought together by Accessibility
Last night, the gaming world witnessed a remarkable event that celebrated the achievements and efforts of the game accessibility community. The Game Accessibility Awards 2023 (GAconf Awards) were held online, hosted by the renowned accessibility advocate and blind gamer Steve Saylor, along with many special guests from the industry and the community.
The GAconf Awards are an annual event that recognizes the best practices and innovations in game accessibility, across 19 categories, such as Best Accessible Game, Best Innovation, Best Representation, and more. The nominees were shortlisted by an expert panel, and the winners were decided by a combination of public and jury vote.
The awards ceremony was a showcase of the diversity and inclusivity of the game accessibility community, as well as the passion and dedication of the developers, publishers, journalists, and advocates who work tirelessly to make games more accessible for everyone, regardless of impairments or other limitations.
The awards were presented by various members and allies of the accessibility community, who shared their personal stories and experiences with game accessibility. Some of them are blind, deaf, cognitively impaired, or motor disabled, and they expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the games and the people who made them more accessible.
As a blind gamer myself, I was deeply moved and inspired by the awards ceremony, and I felt a strong sense of belonging and pride to be part of this amazing community. I have met many kind and nice people who welcomed me with open arms and supported me in my journey of gaming after going blind. Some of them are my friends, and they know who they are.
I want to congratulate all the winners and nominees of the GAconf Awards, as well as everyone else who is involved in the game accessibility movement. You are making a huge difference in the lives of the 450 million impaired and disabled gamers around the world, who can enjoy games more, thanks to your efforts. You have shown me that there is gaming after going blind, and I truly admire, treasure and respect you for that.
I also want to encourage everyone who is reading this article to check out the full ceremony on the IGDA-GASIG YouTube Channel, where you can watch it with audio description, ASL, BSL, and full captions in English, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese.
In case you are not aware of this yet, the IGDA Game Accessibility SIG is a group of volunteers who have worked since 2003 to aid the game industry in making games accessible for all.
I hope that the GAconf Awards will continue to grow and inspire more people to join the game accessibility movement,. Only together we can break down all the barriers preventing us from enjoying games to their fullest.
I will say this one more time, Disability happens when accessibility doesn’t, but with people like you around, each of us begin to feel less and less disabled.
Thank you for reading, and happy gaming! 🎮
Victor Dima
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