“The results of inclusive design for accessibility always lead to a better product for everyone.” — Phil SpencerThe Game Accessibility Workshop Toolkit (GAWT) is a resource from the XBOX Research Accessibility Team. It gives you everything you need to host your own Game Accessibility Workshops (GAWs) — sessions that evolve how your team thinks about and applies inclusive design during development.
What’s in the toolkit
- Guidance on planning and setting up a Game Accessibility Workshop.
- Visual assets to use during the workshop, plus instructions for how to use them.
- A video recording of the introductory presentation that opens the workshop and grounds attendees in the principles of inclusive design.
Get the toolkit
Download the toolkit from the Gaming for Everyone Product Inclusion Hub.How a workshop runs
1
Learn
Attendees watch the 101 presentation to build shared context on inclusive design and game accessibility.
2
Engage
Attendees hear directly from players with disabilities through interviews and panels.
3
Practice
Facilitated exercises let attendees apply what they’ve learned.
4
Incorporate
The team maps insights back onto features in their in-development product.
5
Discuss
Attendees agree on accessibility goals, foreseeable challenges, and the resources they need to navigate them.
Impact
Game Accessibility Workshops are the cornerstone of XBOX’s approach. Features that came out of workshops with XBOX Game Studios include:- Turn 10’s blind driving assist in Forza Motorsport.
- Rare’s audio aim assist in Sea of Thieves.
- Playground Games’ picture-in-picture ASL in Forza Horizon 5.