Rutgers–Camden Study Explores How Video Games are Leveling the Playing Field

As one of the longest-running and most profitable gaming franchises in history, Street Fighter was an intriguing subject for the Digital Studies Center. Wayne Reynolds, a rising senior majoring in English with minors in film, communication, and digital studies, studied the latest version, Street Fighter VI, which introduced new, modern controls with a streamlined, simplified interface that reduces the number of special button combinations needed to play. 

“This control set was actually supposed to be an entry point for people to learn the original, or classic, controls,” Reynolds said, noting that the revamped controls provided the unexpected benefit of a more accessible experience.

Street Fighter VI’s accessibility features enabled a wider audience, potentially of first-time users, to enjoy gaming. Attendees of Well Played used Street Fighter VI’s modern and classic controls, comparing and contrasting experiences to see which setup they preferred.

Reynolds presented his work on Street Fighter VI accessibility in gaming along with Matthew Brodsky CCAS’24 at the Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (CURCA) this past April. 

Erin Leuthold, director of Rutgers–Camden Office of Disability Services (ODS), recalled Brown and Reynolds discussing their work on video game accessibility and its unintended benefits. “We discovered not only that the low-vision or blind populations were using Street Fighter VI, but also that the new controls were helpful for people with learning disabilities or processing disorders,” she said. 

Taryn Cooper, who works with Leuthold in the ODS as coordinator of accommodations, joined in on the project.

“We played Street Fighter VI with Wayne, who made connections about the modern controls and wanted to further explore the disability-related aspects of gaming,” Cooper said. “He wanted our input to make more connections that he might have missed.” The ODS, working with the Digital Studies Center on the project, broadcast the Well Played sessions to the campus community, including the 600 students the office serves.

Reynolds emphasized that accessibility should not come at the expense of the core identity of a game. “It’s not about making things easier,” he said. “It's about opening doors so more people can have the same experience or an experience that's not hindered by things that they can't control.” 

For the rising senior and video game enthusiast, Street Fighter VI has enhanced inclusivity, though that was not likely the developers’ original aim. “Street Fighter is still Street Fighter,” Reynolds said. “I can use modern controls, and someone else can use classic controls. The fact that we can still go head to head says a lot.”