Making an online fantasy game for the visually impaired

Lately, I’ve been toying with the idea of making an online fantasy game (written in Python, obviously) which anyone with an internet connection can play, but which also specifically caters to the blind or otherwise visually impaired who uses a screen reader to have their computer read text out loud to them. Given how many projects I’m already involved with, this is unlikely to ever happen. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting thought to experiment with. Follow along, as I explore the idea of how this would work.

Screenshot from the Woodland Mages Guild on the MUD Ages of Despair. The green text is an example of why playing MUDs with screen readers is often a terrible experience.

Modern online fantasy games — MMORPGs

“MMORPG” is a acronym for “Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game”. The graphical MMORPGs came into being with games like Meridian 59, Ultima Online and EverQuest, and were brought into public awareness with the run-away success of World of Warcraft. These are games that allow players to play in the same world as hundreds or thousands of other players at the same time, and can be an absolutely fantastic experience.

For the visually impaired, though, these games are largely inaccessible due to their visual nature. There is unfortunately little that can be done about that, as far as I know. However, there is hope — but to examine this further, we need to take a brief look at the history of these games.