For basic accessibility purposes, there should be an option for creators to add alt text to every image that will be on their page. Screenshots and images are often essential to publicising games, and for there to be no way to convey the information shared in them to low-vision and blind people restricts both sides of the exchange. A simple text box to create alt text would open doors for creators and players alike.
Hmm, Hmmm. I kinda disagree. The area that is specifically screenshots is the "alt-picture" for people not wanting to read the description ;-)
Also here:
https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/images.html#alt
the intent is that replacing every image with the text of its alt attribute does not change the meaning of the page
Alt is about meaning, not about descriptive transcription.
But as I see it, you have two ways of making it more accessible for those people using screen readers. Make a good description to begin with. And if you use pictures as a description, just place the alt text for those pictures in your description. There is html editor, is there not. You do not have to put your images in the screenshot area.
While screenshots are images (or even video snippets), the alt text would probably just read "screenshot". To be blunt, if the player can't see the screenshots, the player can't see the game either. And putting the information how accessible a game is for the visual impaired in screenshot form only, kinda defeats the purpose. So those games that are bound to have a good description to begin with, at least I would hope so.
Hello! Just wanted to let you know that if you design with accessibility in mind, it's entirely possible for people who are blind or have low vision to play your games. For example, I just released a one-page TTRPG, and in the process of designing it, I:
-Used text-to-speech software to make sure all the text could be read aloud
-Also included a plain text file in case of software incompatibility or other user needs
As for alt text, my screenshots include a filled-out example of gameplay, so I'd like to add alt text for anyone who relies on it (such as screenreader users), and in this case the alt text would include the text of the given example. Similarly, I have a banner that has the game title + a badge for the One-Page RPG Jam, which would be very simple to describe in alt text but now I have to add to the description.
Anyway, if you're interested in learning more about accessibility in gaming (or alt text in particular), here are a couple links:
Free Accessibility in Gaming Resources Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZFSXz-Yva1KZAsP7NblCdkoiQ6RcjxSV2gj98eXusJs/...
How to Write Alt Text for Memes (a guide with applicability beyond memes and in general a good starting point): https://veroniiiica.com/how-to-write-alt-text-for-memes/
if you design with accessibility in mind
putting the information how accessible a game is for the visual impaired in screenshot form only, kinda defeats the purpose. So those games that are bound to have a good description to begin with, at least I would hope so
;-)
I stand by my opinion. Screenshots are the alt-picture of the description of a game. A "correct" alt-text for a screenshot would be "screenshot of the gameplay".
The alt-text feature is intended for on-page images that are used to convey meaning. Screenshots on the other hand, as handled on Itch, are a separate area that have an advertisement function, but they do not change the meaning of the description, if they are exchanged with newer screenshots or different screenshots. So describing them, to describe the game is kinda moot, since that is the purpose of the description.
You do not have on-page images on your page. You do have one on your devlog though. Could you not use the alt-text feature of html with the edit function of Itch, or was it deemed unhelpful?
As I have pointed out, no one hinders you to design a regular html page, complete with regular alt-text for your embedded on-page images. There just is no alt-text feature for the designated screenshots.
Or is the alt-text really disabled in the description? I always thought except for css and js, it would have regular html capabilities.
