The developers of Tekken 8 are introducing a new color-blind filter to increase the game’s accessibility, but experts think that this development might cause more harm to the players than good. A filter that has black and white horizontal and vertical lines seems to have the capacity to cause headaches and vertigo among the players. It can even lead to the hospitalization of players.
An X user, @itwhiffed, posted various filters with the question of why no one was talking about these filter developments in Tekken 8. The post displays different filters for multiple types of color blindness, like red, green, or blue, with different strength settings. However, one filter also shows black-and-white backgrounds with horizontal and vertical lines.
Why is no one talking about the color blind accessibility of Tekken 8. Literally no game has done this. pic.twitter.com/i8qdUYwpPP
— SJS | Gatterall (@itwhiffed) December 27, 2023
James Berg, the senior GM at EA, urged users not to share the tweet directly, as the video is giving some people migraine headaches. The lines are moving and causing many more problems than just headaches. He also said that these moving lines are causing an effect similar to high-frequency flashing, like a flash from a camera, and human bodies find it difficult to adjust to. The statement was verified by other users on X, and they stated how they came across a 3-second clip by mistake, and it caused instant vertigo.
Also Read – Infestation 88 Changes The Game Name Due to Neo-Nazi Number
The accessibility lead of Xbox Game Studios, Tara Wake Voelker, has also said that the Tekken 8 developing team should try Electronic Arts’ photosensitive epilepsy tool for testing the safety of filters. Katsuhiro Harada, the director of Tekken, responded to this discussion by saying that people have misunderstood the options or have watched a video clip for a few seconds and have not tried it in demo play. He added that there is not only one pattern for color-blind players but there are various color vision options and options to adjust. Harada also said that this feature has received positive feedback from players in the demo play.
Additionally, James Berg has also said that the Tekken team’s intentions are amazing and will make Tekken more accessible to all. He suggested taking advice from the posts of Ian Hamilton and Tara Wake Voelker. Notably, the Tekken 8 developer team still has time to work on the advice, as the game is set to be released on January 26, 2024.
