The Invisible Barrier in Gaming
Imagine spending $70 on a new video game you've been excited about for months, only to discover after opening it that you can't play it because of your disability. The text is too small to read. The controls require simultaneous button presses you can't physically perform. The game relies on audio cues you can't hear. Or perhaps it has no colorblind options for the puzzle mechanics.
This is the reality for many of the estimated 500 million gamers with disabilities worldwide — roughly 1 in 3 gamers in North America. Finding accessible games isn't just challenging; it's an often frustrating cycle of wasted money, disappointment, effort, and exclusion from one of the world's most popular entertainment mediums.
Think about it: how would you know if a game is accessible enough for your specific needs before purchasing? Would you scour forums, watch gameplay videos, or just take a $70 gamble? For most gamers with disabilities, the process takes around 4-5 hours worth of effort, and certainty is never guaranteed.
My name is Arman Nobari, I founded a studio called Good Trouble. We originally set out to make hyper-accessible games, inspired by my battle with cancer earlier in life. My friends in the hospital couldn’t escape with games like I could, so I set out to make games for them.
As part of that process we started thoroughly researching accessibility in existing games. While analyzing what games are accessible to players with specific disabilities, we suddenly realized there was a major opportunity to tackle this problem from another perspective: instead of only adding games to the pool of titles people can play, we could also work to connect players to already existing games that fit their accessibility needs and preferences - and we wanted to go about this in a totally new way.
Introducing AbleToPlay: The Best Way To Discover Accessible Games
AbleToPlay is a personalized platform where users can create a free account and build a private profile of their accessibility needs. They can then browse a comprehensive catalog of video games through the lens of how well those games meet their specific requirements. Our platform's revolutionary “Personal Score” system instantly shows users exactly how well a game fits their accessibility profile, turning what used to take hours of research into seconds of clarity.
We spent a year doing R&D, talking with thousands of gamers with disabilities, talking with studios and publishers, and talking to major nonprofits like the World Institute on Disabilities, Child’s Play, and Games For Change, to develop and refine our vision. We built a team of award winning game developers, accessibility experts, and disability advocates. And finally, we built and tested prototypes, got feedback from our incredible community, and ultimately landed on the version that is live today.
"I have two children with disabilities, and they're both gamers. AbleToPlay is the difference between getting them gifts that might be a flop, and getting them gifts they know they can play. We had an early February birthday in the house, and I used AbleToPlay to find my youngest a gift. He's usually very stressed opening game gifts, because we've had a few gifts he simply couldn't play... But he was DELIGHTED when he unwrapped it and I told him, buddy, it's all you, I checked and you can totally play it. This is lifechanging."- Audrey, 32, Sheffield (UK)
For me, everything ultimately comes down to whether or not AbleToPlay actually helps gamers with disabilities and their families find new favorite games to fall in love with. When we first started building, I was of course a mix of anxious and excited for the size of the problem we’re solving. But as users started trying it out, I realized what a powerful and helpful platform we’ve built for gamers. The impactful stories and heartfelt messages started adding up, so now we proudly have an entire section on our homepage of quotes from our users, for whom AbleToPlay was the missing piece in being empowered to find and play games with full confidence.
"I did not know a few big games from last year were playable for me. I just... sorta figured I couldn't play them. I picked them up because AbleToPlay said I'd be alright, and holy shit. I can actually play them! That's the good news. The bad news is, Balatro is now a part of my life, and I am hooked."- Demarius, 19, Boston (US)
Changing the Model of Disability in Gaming
AbleToPlay doesn't just help players — it helps developers too. We're building new ways for game creators to get their titles discovered based on their actual accessibility merits, while also providing them with best practices, guidelines, and data on how to build more accessible games.
This approach creates a virtuous cycle: more accessible games get created, more players with disabilities can enjoy them, and the gaming ecosystem becomes more inclusive for everyone. After all, accessibility features like text size options, control remapping, and colorblind modes don't just help gamers with disabilities—they improve the experience for all players. Upwards of 90% of all gamers use one or more accessibility options when gaming, whether or not they identify as disabled, or consider their game settings to be “accessibility focused.”
Partnering with the Neil Squire Society
Our collaboration with the Neil Squire Society 🔗, a Canadian non-profit that uses technology to empower people with disabilities, has been instrumental in bringing AbleToPlay to life. Working with their Makers Making Change 🔗 program, their expertise in assistive technology and adaptive gaming has provided us with invaluable R&D insights.
We're particularly excited to support Neil Squire's GAME Checkpoint 🔗 initiative, which establishes accessible gaming centers across Canada. AbleToPlay's role will be to help ensure these GAME Checkpoints are as accessible and adaptive as possible, providing resources and guidance to make gaming available to everyone who visits these centers. Our vision is to empower GAME Checkpoints with all the information needed to ensure every gaming session supports the needs of every gamer.
We believe the GAME Checkpoint initiative perfectly aligns with our mission to empower gamers with disabilities, and to bring the social and therapeutic value of games to more people.
Join Our Mission
We’re on a mission to empower gamers with disabilities and make it effortless to find games that are accessible to your needs — but we need your help to spread the word!
- 💡 Do you know someone with a disability who loves or wants to try gaming? Share AbleToPlay 🔗 with them!
- 📚 Are you a parent, therapist, or caregiver looking for accessible entertainment options? AbleToPlay 🔗 can help you find the perfect match!
- 🎮 Are you a gamer yourself? Join our community 🔗 and help us create the most inclusive gaming platform in the world!
Together, we can ensure that the joy, connection, and experiences that gaming provides are available to everyone, regardless of ability. Because gaming isn't just about entertainment — it's about belonging to a community, sharing experiences, and having fun!
