The Accessibility Problem
The Accessibility Problem

Thinking Through the Darkness by Spec

Episode notes

Episode 2 is here and we're going somewhere a little different this time.

We start with some of my core difficulties with Kingdom Hearts as a series β€” specifically the cognitive load of games like Chain of Memories and why certain design choices genuinely lock some players out. And from there we end up somewhere broader: a conversation about accessibility and adaptability in games, and why so many developers still haven't got it right.

I talk about the Binding of Isaac as a core example of a game that prioritises its own design philosophy over player experience β€” and how the console versions have been largely abandoned compared to PC, where active updates and mods keep the game alive and evolving. Meanwhile console players are stuck on base Repentance with no mod support, which ultimately reduces the lifespan of the game on those platΒ ...Β 

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Keywords
Kingdom HeartsAccessibilityAdaptabilityVideo GamesThe Binding of IssacStardew ValleyDon't Starve
Where this episode is made