Mattel plans to make 80% of its games catalog colorblind accessible by the end of 2024

Mattel, the toy manufacturer responsible for popular card games such as Uno, Apples to applesAnd Phase 10, has made a sweeping commitment to make about 80% of its games catalog color-blind accessible by the end of 2024, the company announced Tuesday. The first wave of colorblind accessible games includes several versions of Uno, as well as some of its tactile games, such as Tumbling monkeys And Block. In addition to this impressive commitment to inclusion, Mattel will donate more than $30,000 of these freshly minted titles to summer camps across the United States through the YMCA.

Going forward, Mattel plans to make its games colorblind accessible wherever possible, and expects 90% of its games catalog to be colorblind accessible by the end of 2025. All future titles with this change will include a “colorblind accessible” symbol. , placed in the corner of the box.

According to Ray Adler, Vice President and Global Head of Games at Mattel, prior to implementing this rollover and throughout the design process, Mattel worked with several experts in the field of color vision deficiency and consulted with individuals who experience color blindness, including Mattel designers. Together they developed tailor-made solutions for games to ensure that color was not the only way to distinguish cards or components, such as icons and other tactical cues on cards or playing pieces. In addition to the physical titles, Mattel will also roll out similar updates to mobile versions of its games through mobile gaming app holder Mattel163.

Image: Mattel

Back in 2017, Mattel collaborated with ColorADDa global organization leading the colorblind accessibility and education industry, to help the UNO ColorADD deck. ColorADD pioneered a color identification system for color blind people as a universal and inclusive code to support the estimated 350 million people around the world affected by color blindness. Mattel also published a version of Uno for the visually impaired, No braillein 2019.

Board game publishers have made great strides in making their titles more accessible. However, there are plenty of popular games like Pandemic, Mysteriumor Dixit that remain difficult or completely unplayable for people with certain forms of color blindness. Accessibility means making small changes to level the playing field so everyone feels included. While standardizing accessibility in gaming still has a long way to go, it’s encouraging to see publishers like Mattel becoming more committed to industry integration.