The Old Republic Wins Most Accessible Mainstream Game Award
The Old Republic adds a new award to its already formidable repertoire, this time for appealing to an often overlooked gaming demographic (and no, it’s not women). Ablegamers, an organization that raises awareness for and helps the disabled to experience games in all their glory, has awarded SWTOR the 2011 Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year.
“What makes this game so special is that the developers took the time to include so many accessibility options while up against tight deadlines in such a highly anticipated title,” AbleGamers explains.
The site applauds the many features that make the Star Wars MMO friendly to play, which include “subtitles, area looking, auto looting, and built-in mouse sensitivity.” In addition, other small details like automatically turning to face the mob you are attacking, color-blind friendly maps, and the ability to control the game using only the keyboard or only the mouse also help ensure its universal appeal.
The biggest unexpectedly accessible-friendly feature, which has the benefit of helping out everyone, is the addition of companions, which allows the player to accomplish more things alone than they might otherwise be able to.
AbleGamers does mention other things the game could do to improve its accessibility, such as allowing player-made mods for increasing font sizes, but notes that SWTOR “hits the big targets.”
Previous winners of the Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year include Forza 3 and Dragon Age: Origins.
