The developers of the upcoming fighting game Tekken 8 aimed to boost accessibility by adding colorblindness options. But one setting in particular is drawing criticism for potentially causing seizures or other medical harm.
Multiple colorblind filters were recently previewed, including some displaying characters as vertical and horizontal black and white lines. Gaming accessibility specialist Ian Hamilton warned this flickering high-contrast pattern could potentially “hospitalize players or worse.” EA’s accessibility GM James Berg agreed, noting the unpredictable movement causes migraines and is “doing worse as well.”
Some users verified experiencing instant vertigo and nausea from brief exposure. Xbox accessibility lead Tara Voelker suggested the Tekken team use EA’s tool for assessing photosensitive epilepsy risks.
Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada responded that only a very few have misunderstood or reacted negatively to the range of colorblind options. He said multiple adjustment types are offered beyond the controversial pattern. And many demo testers provided positive feedback.
Berg affirmed the intent to improve accessibility is fantastic. He and others still urge re-evaluating the problematic filter, so that Tekken 8 can fully achieve its inclusion goals. There’s still time before the January 26th launch.
The conversation spotlights accessibility’s complexity. Even well-meaning features can potentially exclude vulnerable players if not thoroughly vetted. It’s an evolving trial-and-error process for most developers. But established testing methodologies now exist to catch dangerous oversights.
Here’s hoping Tekken 8 tweaks its colorblind settings using expert guidance. Because at the end of the day, no one wants innovations that accidentally harm those they aim to include. This thoughtful discourse shows the gaming community’s shared values around universal access.
