Gaming Glasses and Colorblindness, How Design Evolution Opened Up Accessibility

Date: December 11, 2019

Source: Prima Games

Gaming glasses are becoming more and more popular, which is a good thing for those that have color decencies and other similar disorders.

Through the years, accessibility in gaming has become a much bigger focus. Not just in game development itself, but peripherals as well. From adaptive controllers to more accessible keyboards, there have been leaps and bounds in recent years to make gaming more inclusive for all. That includes other peripherals as well, including the ever-popular gaming glasses that are seen on pros and casuals alike. 

The evolution of gaming glasses and their design has been an interesting one. When this particular peripheral first came on the scene, popular brands like Gunnar could be seen everywhere. These glasses block out harmful blue light seen in screens like phones, PC setups, and console gaming. The problem with that is when those glasses first launched, the lens were a thick yellow color and while that was alright for many, it made gaming virtually unenjoyable for some that have more severe cases of colorblindness. 

Though I don't have color blindness myself, my husband does. He has the worst red/green deficiency on the spectrum, which was made even worse with the heavily-colored gaming glasses. The team over at Gamer Advantage sent us over a few pairs of their gaming glasses, equipped with our respective prescriptions, and after a few days using them in both work and gaming, my husband Matt said that the design of Gamer Advantage was a total game-changer and altered the way he saw the importance of blue light glasses.  

"I had a pair of Gunnars when they first became a big thing and I hated them immediately," he told me. "Not that they were bad, but the color made gaming pretty impossible for me. Whether I was playing a game like Medal of Honor or playing a title that was rooted in the color blue like Fortnite, the yellow lenses made it way too difficult to be able to differentiate what was happening in-game. It became a choice of game with the glasses and not experience the game in its entirety, or ditch the glasses and deal with the headaches."

Since prolonged blue light exposure can cause headaches, eye strain, and even disrupted sleep patterns, having a pair of solid blue light protective glasses can be a real life-saver. The ability to add one's prescription makes it even better, making it easier to transition from work to phone use, and eventually gaming. 

When I asked Matt how he liked the Gamer Advantage glasses after a few days of consistent use, he said "These definitely are replacing my normal glasses. I'm on my computer a lot at work and between that and my phone, it's pretty obvious why I have almost daily headaches. Though the headaches aren't gone completely, I don't feel like my eyes are bulging out of my skull with these and I can actually see what's going on in a game I'm playing when I get home, which is nice." 

"I also like the sunglasses clip," he added. He laughed and added, "You know me, I lose everything so the fact that the sunglasses addition clips right on with a magnet is pretty cool. I just have to make sure I keep the lens in the case it came with by leaving that in my car helped, so it makes these even better when not gaming. They're my work glasses, my sunglasses, and my gaming glasses, can't really go wrong with that." 

Story Source:  Prima Games, original written by Liana Ruppert

Product Disclaimer: Gamer Advantage did provide Prima Games with a pair of glasses. While the product was provided, the above statements are accurate appraisals of one colorblind user's experience with this particular brand.