Independent publisher How the mail delivery Whitethorn Games has dedicated a niche focused on usability and accessibility for users with various disabilities, including those who are color blind, dyslexic, and deaf.
“We were built on the idea that games should be accessible to everyone.”
This is Dr. Matthew White, How the mail delivery CEO of Whitethorn Games, an indie publisher based in Erie, Pennsylvania. Their games include Lake’s reassuring mailing experience, developed by Dutch team Gamious and released this year. And the adventure game Kraft 2020 by Canadian developer Alientrap, and Wychwood, among many others.
White grew up doing “comfortable things” like Harvest Moon and Pokémon while his friends “busting beer cans” and playing Halo. “In general, the [gaming] industry is full of all kinds of ways to run into the halls and kill someone, so I wanted something more exciting,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. While talking to audiences over the age of 27, who usually have families and time constraints but prioritize the games they want to play. White realizes that audiences are “much less homogeneous” than some would suggest assuming the typical “gaming audience” is. 17-24 years “angry white kids.”
White found that the group of like-minded gamers. Including developers and customers, was diverse. So the games that Whitehorn wanted to release had to be easy to download and download. “It may be challenging, but not threatening,” said White.
A natural extension of the usability aspect is the emphasis on accessibility.
“People who are handicapped in any way, from the deepest and most visible to the least visible, that you never know the person next to you, that vertical was very much in our concept when we said I want [the game] for literally everyone. But, of course, the specificity of “everyone” means as many people as possible, given the available resources and technology.
Color blindness, dyslexia, and deafness are some of the conditions Whitehorn faces in terms of accessibility. As well as attention-based conditions that can result in players being overwhelmed by busy menu screens. But it extends “to the deepest intrusion,” White said. And we’re not just talking about players with disabilities. But the idea of focusing on accessibility, including developers working with Whitethorn. White stressed the importance of “seeing not only the characters but the creators who represent people like you.”