The 2021 Video Game Accessibility Awards took place yesterday. A stream that was hosted by Alanah Pearce - along with the help of AbleGamers COO Steve Spohn - the awards lasted nearly an hour and a half and covered topics such as remapping abilities, skip sections, and readable text. Triple-A games made big steps in 2021, but so did some indie titles as well.
RELATED: Dead Cells Developer Looking to Make Game More Accessible
Video Game Accessibility Awards Winners and Nominees
The Second Channel award was won by Guardians of the Galaxy, with Before Your Eyes and Unpacking being the other nominees. The award is designed around players having a second means to get important information. Guardians of the Galaxy apparently undersold, but it reviewed well and had some strong features.
Halo Infinite won the award for Clear Text, which focuses on players having reliable options for reading text. Boyfriend Dungeon and the beloved indie title Loop Hero were the other nominees. Meanwhile, Before Your Eyes won the Input Reduction award. The best games that reduce the input for necessary tasks were considered, with Fights in Tight Spaces and Escape from Tarkov being the other nominees.
Life is Strange: True Colors won the Ability to Bypass award. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and the extremely accessible Unpacking were also nominated. The AI Assistance award is for games that help players progress with the help of an in-game AI. Forza Horizon 5 won, with Far Cry 6 and Psychonauts 2 also being nominated.
The Remapping award was taken home by Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, with Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart again being nominated alongside It Takes Two. The Hazelight Studios’ game did not leave empty-handed, however, as It Takes Two won the Peer Assistance award. The award is designed to praise games that allow for progress assistance from another player. Age of Empires IV and Back 4 Blood were also nominated.
Halo Infinite won its second award, thanks to its very helpful Academy mode. The Training Grounds award celebrates titles that allow for players to increase their skill outside the main experience. Monster Hunter Rise and Back 4 Blood were nominated as well. Meanwhile, Far Cry 6 won the Improved Precision award, with Back 4 Blood again being nominated, alongside Chivalry 2.
An interesting twist to the fun was the Video Game Accessibility Awards’ House Rules honors. Among Us won the award as the only game nominated due to its remarkable ability to let players make their own rules. The virtual award show also saw plenty of guests as presenters, including Ethan Nestor, DrLupo, and Sweet Anita.
MORE: 10 Games With Fantastic Accessibility Features
