When you hear the phrase “can I play that?”, you might imagine a toddler asking to borrow your phone to play games, or maybe you remember being a preteen and asking your parents or siblings if they could let you play an M-rated video game. Most of us have never seen a game and asked ourselves “can I play that?” in the literal sense of being able to play it; of course, we can play it. Why wouldn’t we be able to play it?
The thought of being literally unable to play a game might have never occurred to most of us because it’s one of the many “normal” or “common” activities that we take for granted as able-bodied people. It also doesn’t help that games media rarely if ever shows persons with disabilities being involved in video games. Game developers, streamers, content creators, and even game journalists are all presented or assumed to be without disabilities.
This is why it’s so important that a site like Can I Play That? exists. The website, which serves as a “destination for gamers and developers alike for all forms of accessibility information,” was launched in 2018, but it recently received an upsurge in viewership due to its accessibility reviews of The Last of Us Part II.
The website features reviews on games’ accessibility features, news on developments in video game accessibility, as well as guides for developers to refer to when creating accessibility features for their games. In case you haven’t noticed, the operative word here is “accessibility.” There’s also a tab which allows users to submit their own reviews, so any member of the gamers with disabilities community can contribute.
Accessibility in video games is a relatively new aspect of video game development, with the International Game Developers’ Association having started their Game Accessibility Special Interest Group just in 2003. Since then, we’ve seen a slew of accessibility options appear in some of our favorite games, and accessibility controllers also became popular options for the motion-impaired. That said, there are still plenty of games out there with half-baked implementations of accessibility options. While disabled gamers might be able to play them with special controllers, these games need to meet their players halfway with proper accessibility features.
It’s important that we support content created by our fellow gamers who need some extra options to be able to play, because the more that their voices are heard, the closer we get to having full-fledged accessibility features be the norm in video games. Video games are made to inspire and delight us, and no one should be made to miss out on the action just because they’ve got a disability.
You can follow Can I Play That? on their Twitter and official website, and you can donate to them as a patron on their Patreon page.
Our Privacy Commitment
TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations.
We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.
Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?
We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:
Where do we get your personal information?
There are several ways we collect your personal information.
Information that you personally provided.
Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
Information we collect during your engagement with us
We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
Information we collect from other sources
Other means of collection of information may be through:
When do we disclose personal information?
There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.
We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.
In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.
How we protect your personal information
The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.
We also put in effect the following safeguards:
TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than those identified in this Commitment, your Service Agreement or our Terms of Service, and any other purpose that you may have given your consent for.
What are your choices?
We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.
If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.
Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph
What happens when there are changes in our Policy?
From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.
You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.