A Family Game Night Classic Just Got a Little More Inclusive

I guess I'm a simple person. I like games that are easy to follow, easy to learn, easy to play.

Now please don't get it twisted. I do like to go and hang out with NJ's family, and that means playing a very, VERY complicated game called Hand and Foot. And it's fine, but they're more competitive than I am so it gets a bit boring after a while.

I don't really care as much others do about the whole "win and lose" part.  But I do like to play games!  And sometimes, sneaking off to the kid's table to play some games is the best part of any family gathering.

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But before, even some of my favorite games have been a little limited.  So I've been totally stoked to hear about this!

Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) announced today that 80 percent of its global games portfolio will be colorblind accessible by the end of the year, and 90 percent in 2025, as part of its commitment to create more inclusive play experiences...Knowing that approximately 300 million people around the world experience some form of colorblindness, Mattel is working to break down barriers to game play and help advance awareness of those affected by colorblindness.

So which games are they going to do this with? Phase 10, DOS, Blokus, and Tumblin’ Monkeys.... along with my favorite, UNO.

via GIPHY

When creating these recent portfolio-wide changes, Mattel partnered with several experts in the color vision deficiency field, consulted with individuals who experience colorblindness, including Mattel designers who themselves are colorblind, and developed custom solutions for games, such as patterns, tactile clues, and symbols, to ensure color was not the only way to differentiate cards or components.

It's just so fun to play, and it moves quickly, and with the different kinds of things you can do, it's never the same.  And its super great to bring to family parties with little kids.  Little kids love UNO even if they aren't very old, because it's easy to match colors or numbers.  And since they know how to do the basics before they even start playing, the rules of skipping and reverse and all that come much easier.

And now that the color blind kids will have a way to participate, everyone can play!

Uno-ingly yours,
Behka