Mattel Redesigns ‘Uno’ & Other Games To Include Colorblind Players At The Table

Image courtesy of Mattel

Game nights are a cherished social activity, but for those with color vision deficiencies, the pastime can be frustrating, exclusionary, and, to put it simply, blue. Recognizing this, Mattel has announced that 80% of its games will be colorblind accessible by the end of 2024, with an even higher goal of 90% by 2025. This fantastic news means classics like Uno, Phase 10, and Blokus will all be playable by a broader audience.

“Broad” is an understatement, as about 300 million people worldwide experience some form of colorblindness. Traditionally, classic hues have been the primary means of differentiating cards or components in their games. However, the upcoming changes will ensure that players with color vision impairment can participate fully.

The toymaker has partnered with experts in the field, consulted individuals with colorblindness, as well as tapped into the experiences of their colorblind designers to add color to the undertaking. Coming out of this collaboration are solutions like patterns, tactile clues, and symbols as additional visual cues across favorites such as Uno, Phase 10, Dos, Blokus, and Tumblin’ Monkeys.

Image courtesy of Mattel

Mobile versions of these card games will feature new symbols specifically designed for colorblind identification, such as squares and triangles. Developed by Mattel163, a joint venture with NetEase, the new Beyond Colors mobile decks feature unified symbols such as squares and triangles for easy differentiation between card colors. This free update can be enabled in user settings.

To celebrate this awesome initiative, Mattel Games is donating colorblind accessible games to YMCA summer camps across the US in hopes of empowering kids to play and learn together, regardless of their abilities.

“At Mattel, we are proud that our portfolio of games continues to bring people together—transcending languages and cultures—and this initiative to offer more colorblind accessible games is another proof point on our inclusivity journey,” shares Ray Adler, vice president and global head of games at Mattel. “We’re proud to help spread awareness for the colorblind community and make our products accessible for more people, so that all fans can come together and enjoy universal gameplay.”

[via Mattel, images courtesy]