Thompson’s hope for in-game accessibility options is the eventual “complete overhaul of what they are,” and what that future will look like is hard to say. Is that the right approach, or do options deserve to be moving into the future at the same pace as the rest of our design?” “The way options are approached, the way they’re presented to players, the way they work, as kind of this thing on the side or on top of the game-this is how they’ve been since games have existed. “Will options continue to look the same in 10 years? That’s what I really want everyone to think about,” Thompson says. This alone is why options are necessary, but they need to become an integral part of the game itself, rather than a feature bolted on from the outside.
And what is deemed accessible for some is not for others. Accessibility arises from the interaction of a disabled person with any inaccessible thing. Thompson is speaking about the uniqueness and personal aspect of being a disabled individual. That’s partly because, as I say in the talk, accessibility isn’t a tangible thing, it’s something that exists whether we do anything about it or not.” Accessibility isn’t options, and options cannot carry the weight of all of accessibility. “Right now, options are the approach we’re taking, and this is where I think we’re heading in a difficult direction. “Whether options are the center of accessibility is another question,” they say. While accessibility settings and features are necessary, and “will always be integral to accessibility,” they say the industry’s reliance on them can be detrimental. Aside from the daunting task of asking the entire industry to reflect on advances in accessibility and how they impact disabled players, Thompson wants to shift the focus of accessibility from options to inclusive design. And he's got a long career of future roles ahead of him.Working on accessibility makes Thompson keenly aware of methods that should be avoided, particularly in relation to game design. While it’s super endearing to imagine Tom Holland’s mom sitting in a cinema proudly watching her son on screen and giving him an “atta boy”, it’s also cool to be along the ride as Holland matures from a teenage Spidey to a heroin addicted, PTSD riddled former army medic. I think when my mum goes to see my films, in particular, the things she likes the most are the moment she goes, 'Oh, that's my little boy.' But in this film there's nothing like that. I guess I wasn't thinking right, and I was like, 'Do you know who would really like to see this? My mum.’ In hindsight, it was a really stupid thing to have done. I was like, 'This is how my day's going,' and she was furious with me. During an interview with Esquire, the young actor explained her reaction, saying:īiggest mistake ever. That’s just what Holland did apparently, sending some pretty damaging footage to his mother when when filming Cherry. But there are some things you just don’t want to share with your family, and that includes footage of yourself throwing up blood in a jail cell. Tom Holland seems to be pretty close to his family, having notably attended a Twilight premiere with his mom and being with them when he learned about landing the role of Peter Parker.