Accessibility in gaming: Blind player uses NFC for Magic: The Gathering

Cristian M. Amores, a blind player, is pioneering new ways to play the collectible card game ‘Magic: The Gathering’ through technological adaptations. Since 2020, Amores has been documenting his journey via ‘Magic Accessible’ on social media, highlighting the growing but still inconsistent movement toward accessibility in video games and tabletop gaming.

Amores has experimented with several methods to identify cards. His initial attempt using Braille labels proved impractical, as the added thickness made shuffling difficult and risked disqualification in official tournaments due to marking rules. He later transitioned to using QR codes, but found the process of focusing a camera and waiting for a scan to be slower than playing without assistance.

Currently, Amores utilizes NFC tags. By simply bringing his phone near a card, a screen reader can instantly read the entire card's information without the need for manual focusing. He notes that this technology has allowed him to make a ‘huge leap as a player,’ enabling him to manage card data efficiently through automated database entries.