“Tekken 8’s Colorblind Filter Sparks Vertigo and Migraine Challenges Among Disabled Gamers”
The recently unveiled colorblind filter in Tekken 8 is having adverse effects on disabled players, causing issues such as nausea and migraines. While colorblind options are typically designed to enhance accessibility by distinguishing crucial on-screen information like opponents and health bars, this particular setting is preventing some disabled individuals from being able to watch matches altogether.
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Tekken 8
On Twitter, user SJS | Gatterall shared a 38-second clip demonstrating the filter’s impact, expressing surprise at the lack of discussion on Tekken 8’s colorblind accessibility. The video features a match with a background styled like an uncolored comic panel. The left fighter is depicted by vertical black lines that consistently move, while the opponent on the right is represented by horizontal black lines following the player’s movements. The video has garnered over 9 million views.
Members of the disabled community voiced their concerns on social media. Morgan Baker, Game Accessibility Lead at EA, urged people to refrain from tagging him in Tekken 8 colorblind filter posts, revealing that it had triggered a migraine for him. Accessibility consultant Ian Hamilton echoed these sentiments, cautioning against sharing the video to prevent harm to others. In a reply, Hamilton explained the broader issues with colorblind filters, emphasizing that they might not be the ideal approach for addressing colorblindness.
Other Twitter users joined in expressing their worries. One-Winged Bard reported a severe migraine and difficulty sleeping after encountering the content, while Tarja Porkka-Kontturi, an Accessibility and DEI consultant, shared that the striped filter induced instant vertigo.
Tekken series Game Director Katsuhiro Harada defended the diverse colorblind filters in a detailed Twitter post. He mentioned receiving “positive feedback” on the accessibility settings and argued that some people may have misunderstood or not tried the options in the demo play. Harada clarified that they never claimed the options covered all players’ color vision but acknowledged that the favorable community response had contributed to such perceptions.
