Ryan and I aren’t really into gaming, but when our boys were younger, we dusted off our old Wii and introduced them to Wii Sports. They had a blast playing, and even Titus, who is blind, was able to enjoy it thanks to the vibrations in the remotes. With a little help and audio descriptions from us, Titus had a great time too. He became a bowling master and is hard to beat.

For Christmas a few years ago, we decided to upgrade to a Switch and got some games to go along with it. We did some research to find games that would be accessible for Titus, who was only 6 at the time. Mario Kart was a hit because of its smart steering feature, and we also started playing Mario Party Superstars. This game was fun, but it required us to describe the board, what Toad was saying, and how to play the mini games to Titus.

As time went on, Titus started watching YouTube videos of other games and began asking for them for his birthday. He and his brother have built up quite a collection over the years, although not all of them are accessible for Titus. We do our best to make it work.

One game that really caught Titus’ interest was Luigi’s Mansion. In this game, he explores and fights ghosts, but he needs someone to guide him since there are no audio cues. I or someone else will move him around and describe what’s happening, and he takes over when a ghost is near. For ghosts that require aim, he’ll have a sighted guide help out.

Lately, Titus has been obsessed with baseball and has been playing MLB The Show. He needs help picking teams, but once the game starts, he can play independently or with someone else. We turn down the crowd noise so he can hear when the pitcher throws the ball, and he’s been surprisingly successful at the game, even though it wasn’t designed with blind players in mind.

Titus’ current game favorites are…

• MLB The Show 23 & 24 – We assist with team selection at the start and adjust crowd noise to ensure he can clearly hear the pitch.
• Mario Party Superstars – We narrate Toad’s dialogue and other text while describing the mini-games to enhance the experience.
• Lego City Undercover – We provide narration as needed while exploring the city together, describing locations and actions. He especially enjoys driving around and capturing bad guys.
• Luigi’s Mansion – We describe locations and relay what Professor E. Gadd is saying while playing together. He can sense when ghosts are nearby and fights them independently.

I hope that in the future, game developers will prioritize accessibility by incorporating more audio-assisted features, creating an inclusive gaming experience that both blind and sighted players can enjoy together.