Ever since I was a kid my blind mom would play games with me. We used to play cards whenever she had time after work. But in today’s time, everything is digital. And as a gamer myself, I’m glad to know that there are a variety of games that blind people can play that are both accessible and enjoyable.

If you are a visually impaired person who wants to have fun during this quarantine, this article is for you.

Please note that all of these games are for laptop or desktops only.

So here are some of the games you can play during this quarantine:

Adapted Games

Adapted games are games that are modified to accommodate persons with disabilities. These games have both visuals and audios. Here are two adapted games that you can explore and enjoy:

1. Chess

I have never played chess in my life but I’ve seen blind people play it. You’re probably wondering how they can play chess. Well, they make certain modifications on their chess boards like raised black spaces on the boards and bumps on the white pieces. But you’re maybe asking yourself; didn’t you say that only digital games are on this list? Well there is an application called KChess Elite. This program works with screen readers and can be played by blind people online. So if you want to compete in an intense battle of the mind, then, this is perfect for you.

Audio Games

Audio games are self-explanatory. They are games that are purely auditory. They don’t have visuals and they usually narrate what you’re doing in the game. Here are two examples of audio games:

1. GMA Tank Commander

In this audio game you control a tank which has to travel through a battlefield. The object of the game is to destroy intelligence sectors throughout its 6 sectors / levels. This game has beautiful sound design. It has crisp battle field-like sounds such as bombs exploding and your tank rampaging. The voices of the characters sound very clear and understandable. This game is perfect for blind gamers who want an action game that will get you very much engrossed and will keep you on your toes.

2. Q9 Action Game

In this game you control an alien trying to go back to his spaceship so that it can go back home. I really recommend this game for people who are just starting out in playing audio games because not only does this game have surround sound but in its menu you can play a demo of sound’s which will help you identify the different sounds in the game. This game also has terrific sound design making you feel like you’re inside the game itself. So if you’re a beginner trying to find his/her first audio game, then I highly recommend this game for you.

Honorable Mentions

I only have three honorable mentions that are Mortal Kombat, God of War and The Last of Us 2. These games are in the honorable mention section because they are not fully accessible by blind people and cost a lot of money to play but I would like to see more of this when game developers are making accessible games because even though it’s hard to make these games accessible, a lot of people will appreciate them.

1. Mortal Kombat

This game can technically be played by a blind person; though it will be hard for the blind because to play this you need to remember every audio cue or every attack and be able to execute it in a combo. This is very hard to learn especially for blind people because it requires a ton of audio cues to remember. But if you enjoy challenging yourself then be my guest.

2. God of war

This game technically has no accessibility options but it does have an audio describe opening sequence in youtube. So if you want to experience a bit of it, you can, but to fully play the game, you should have a sighted partner to assist you with playing the game.

3. Last of Us 2

Now the developers of this game are trying hard to make it accessible to blind people. And they succeeded. But this game releases with the PS5 which is not out yet, meaning we need to wait a month or two before playing this game. Another thing that makes this an honorable mention is that the PS5 costs a lot of money. So if you want to play it you have to pay more or less 26,000 pesos for your console and the game.

So there you go. Take your pick. Spend your time playing games this quarantine. A bit of caution, though. Don’t spend hours on end just playing games. Limit your game play to one or two hours just to break the monotony.

It’s game over for me. Till the next blog.