EA continues to push for inclusivity in video games with 23 new open source accessibility patents

Dec. 9 (Portaltic/EP) –

Electronic Arts (EA) has shared 23 new accessibility patents open source for video games for free, so developers can use them to add more inclusive options to their titles, such as personalized voice recognition intelligent to identify pronunciation variations due to speech problems or vision functions, such as a diagnosis of color blindness.

The video game studio began a project in 2021 assignment of all its accessibility patents for gameswith the aim of providing other companies and developers in the sector with their technologies for free, to promote the creation of features that make video games more inclusive for the entire industry.

Now, EA has published 23 new open source accessibility patentswhich include new intelligent voice recognition tools, as well as a color blindness diagnostic system or automated player control technology.

In this sense, as detailed by the video game developer in its updated patent page, one of the new patents published is a audio-based device authentication system. This is an authentication option that allows player accounts to be linked to voice-controlled devices, allowing users to use their own voice expressions to interact with parts of a game in an authenticated way.

Continuing with the audio tools, a patent of intelligent personalized voice recognitiondesigned for those users who have speech difficulties. With it, the precision and efficiency of voice recognition is improved by assigning personal phonemes for each user. This allows systems to better understand accent or other pronunciation variations.

Also related to audio and in order to promote a more inclusive environment, EA has included a expressive speech audio generation patentwhich works from text data. This option allows you to generate audios with voices that vary depending on the desired speaking style and the attributes of the speaker.

Likewise, patents have been published that allow age voice using machine learning, generate speech with a player’s voice for your in-game avatar to relate or change musical style of the title based on the emotion of the player in question.

As for users with visual problemsthe company has shared a patent for a color blindness diagnostic system. This system introduces colorblindness indication objects into the video game to automatically “determine, enable and adjust” the colorblindness accessibility settings required for each user. This option allows adjust the image capabilities of the video game in a completely personalized way.

Likewise, EA has published systems and methods that allow transform visual elements of the video game user interface into haptic feedback. In this way, users with visual difficulties can stay informed of what is displayed on the screen using haptic impulses.

On the other hand, a patent for a automated driver configuration recommendation system. This is a technology that, through automated learning, recommends controller configurations based on the player’s playing style, necessary skills, and more specific tendencies.

Following this line, a adaptive game tutorial system, with which it provides guidance on how to execute commands in the game adapted to the skill or style of each player. Players will also be able to get navigation help in video games with the patent of route navigation system, which displays help lines to direct users through complex, open worlds.

Another of the published patents has been designed so that, if the game detects that the user has stopped interacting, Temporarily turn your character into a system-controlled characterin order to help continue with the game in the event of any difficulty.

Additionally, EA has also released new patents related to the Ping system which, launched in 2021, facilitates communication for people with disabilities, helping them transmit contextual visual and auditory communications generated through assignable controller inputs.

With all this, the company has indicated that it intends “reduce or eliminate as many barriers to access as possible”, to “empower” players regardless of your needs, whether vision, hearing, speech or cognitive problems.