Minecraft Accessibility Plus

November 24, 2020 8:06 PM

Minecraft is probably not the game that most people think of when they think about accessibility to the blind, but this mod is working on improving that situation.

Minecraft has had a variety of accessibility settings for a while, but the narrator functionality has been pretty much limited to voicing game menus. This mod will hopefully help bridge the gap for many blind gamers interested in playing.

posted by Alensin (5 comments total)

This is cool! Although I wish it was a way that, like was a set of blocks about Duplo size, and the blocks could sense where they were and report that to the game so that you could build something on the table and it would simultaneously build it in Minecraft. Because I would love that so very much.
posted by The otter lady at 10:28 PM on November 24, 2020 [2 favorites]

The otter lady That sounds like an amazing idea that would be helpful to many people across a range of disabilities including blind/low vision, those who have difficulty with fine motor function, as well as those who would prefer that kind of tactile play that a typical game controller wouldn't give. Would also be cool for younger children to help develop skills that let them understand 3D vs 2D models. You should sell this idea to a game developer.
posted by NotTheRedBaron at 10:43 PM on November 24, 2020

There are/have been a few moves in that direction over the last few years as "mixed reality". Logitow was maybe the closest? I don't think they got funded though, and their site is defunct. Also Koski (non-Minecraft, more of a tech demo than a full game), NoRILLA (research stage), and Construkts (more STEM-focused). Osmo made it to market, but that's pretty strictly 2D.
posted by sysinfo at 11:22 PM on November 24, 2020 [1 favorite]

I am very tactile and love playing with blocks, and building things-- and I love Minecraft except I am so bad with the controls it's very frustrating trying to build stuff because I fall off the walls or put the stairs down upside down over and over...but I like the exploration part of Minecraft (although I die a lot)
posted by The otter lady at 12:35 AM on November 25, 2020

This is cool. Especially with so many kids (and adults!) stuck only being able to interact online, any way to allow more to participate on an even level is good.
posted by caution live frogs at 6:43 AM on November 25, 2020