Epic Games Store: Obstacles for Blind Gamers on the Other Side of the Screen
In our research, we focus on an important aspect of the gaming industry: the digital accessibility of games and digital platforms for gamers with disabilities. Video games, especially digital stores, have become an integral part of modern culture. However, the issue of accessibility for blind players, despite the advancements in technology, still lacks proper attention from game studios and digital platforms. In this article, we will examine the Epic Games Store, analyzing its user interface accessibility and identifying the challenges faced by visually impaired players as they attempt to navigate between the visible and invisible worlds.
History of Epic Games Store
The history of Epic Games Store is a fascinating journey in the world of digital video game distribution, beginning in late 2018. Epic Games, initially known for its game engine and the popular game Fortnite, announced the launch of its own digital game distribution platform to compete with established industry giants like Steam, as well as other platforms like Origin from Electronic Arts and Uplay from Ubisoft.
The launch of Epic Games Store was motivated not only by a desire for competition but also by a wish to change the existing conditions for game developers. Epic offered developers more favorable terms, including a higher revenue share and support for creating exclusive content for their platform. This was particularly noticeable compared to Steam, where the developers’ share was 70%, while Epic Games Store offered a share of 88%.
One of the first major successes of Epic Games Store was securing exclusivity for the game “Metro Exodus,” which was available only on their platform during the first year after its release. This caused some dissatisfaction among the gaming community but also demonstrated that Epic was serious about competing for market share.
Additionally, Epic offered users various free games every week, which attracted significant attention and increased the platform’s recognition and appeal.
Over time, Epic Games Store continued to expand, attracting more developers and games. They also worked diligently on improving their platform’s functionality, adding new features such as game reviews and a digital goods store.
However, Epic Games Store faced its challenges. It received criticism for lacking the developed features of Steam and for certain technical issues, including concerns about user data security.
Despite the challenges and obstacles, Epic Games Store continues to evolve and grow, playing an increasingly significant role in the world of digital video game distribution and remaining a serious competitor to Steam and other platforms.
Analysis of Accessibility for Visually Impaired Players
Despite the success and popularity of Epic Games Store, an important consideration for us is the accessibility of the application for people with vision impairments.
The primary issue lies in the inadequate support for adaptive technologies and features for visually impaired users. Although the gaming industry as a whole is progressing towards inclusivity, many application features remain inaccessible or difficult to use for people with limited vision.
Installation and Login Barriers
From the initial installation, users encounter barriers during the registration or login process. The content of the login window is simply not accessible to screen readers, presenting difficulties even for experienced users. While it is possible to read the content of the window using OCR or navigate with the “Tab” key, many will still prefer to seek assistance from a sighted person for the authorization process.
Screen Reader Compatibility
Once authorized, another problem arises. For some reason, using the Epic Games Store window with the NVDA screen reader causes significant lagging, even on powerful computers, making the application difficult to use. When switching windows or returning to the desktop, NVDA functions normally. Interestingly, while using JAWS, lags are rare, but there is still a sluggish response to user actions.
Unlabeled Buttons and Missing Alt Text
Although quick navigation keys work, which is certainly a plus, some buttons are unlabeled, and graphic images lack proper “Alt” text. Elements like “Store,” “Library,” and “Unreal Engine” are marked as menus but are not identified as buttons or dropdown lists. When activated, the screen reader enters edit mode, where using the “Tab” key leads to similarly named links, and only after activating them can users access the desired section.
Menu Navigation and Hidden Features
The main menu button, which hides all major account management and settings options, is labeled with the first letter of your gaming tag, which is not informative. As for the items within the main menu, at best, you might be redirected to a web page in the browser, as with the “Account” option, but at worst, you could lose all control due to content inaccessibility for the screen reader, as seen with the “Settings” option.
Hcaptcha and Login Restrictions
The platform uses the Hcaptcha service, which supposedly has an accessibility mode, but it often functions incorrectly. Even if you somehow manage to activate this accessibility mode, it can be easily blocked for unclear reasons. As a result, users either have to add Epic Games Store to their startup applications, regularly launch the client to maintain account authorization, or ask sighted individuals for help with the CAPTCHA.
These are just some of the issues faced by screen reader users. The overall experience of using Epic Games Store is characterized by unpredictability, uncertainty, tension, and a strong inclination to uninstall and never use the application again. We have tested applications from other digital platforms, and although they also have their shortcomings, they did not provide us with such an unpleasant experience.
Despite the successful growth and development of Epic Games Store, the issues of accessibility and inclusivity require serious attention and resolution from Epic Games. There is a need for significant improvements to ensure that visually impaired users can fully enjoy and navigate the platform with ease.
Games with Accessibility Support
While the Epic Games Store features games with functions and settings for people with special needs, there is currently no dedicated category or section for this aspect. This makes it difficult to find games optimized for players with disabilities. Moreover, game pages often lack information on whether they support any specialized accessibility features. We recommend using search engines for more detailed information about a game’s accessibility support.
Conclusion
Despite Epic Games’ creation of one of the most popular game engines and their pride in the innovations they introduce, the level of accessibility support in the Epic Games Store remains unsatisfactory. Given the obstacles and challenges visually impaired players face when using the Epic Games Store, it is difficult to recommend the platform due to its poor adaptation and optimization.
We urge developers and platforms, especially the Epic Games Store, to continue working on improving the accessibility and inclusivity of their products so that every player can enjoy the gaming experience without barriers. We hope this article will draw attention to the importance of creating an accessible gaming environment and encourage further efforts in this direction.