Accessibility
Icesus is a text-based multiplayer RPG that has been running since 1995, built and maintained by a volunteer community. Text games have a unique relationship with accessibility — the entire game is text. There are no graphics to describe, no images that need alt text, no visual puzzles that exclude anyone. When you play Icesus, your screen reader gets the same experience as every other player: the full game.
We believe everyone should be able to play. Accessibility is not a feature we bolt on — it is the nature of the medium we chose thirty years ago.
Playing Icesus with a Screen Reader
Web Client (play.icesus.org)
Our browser-based client is designed to work with screen readers out of the box:
- Live game output — Room descriptions, combat messages, and chat are delivered via an ARIA live region so your screen reader announces new content as it arrives.
- Vitals and status — HP, spell points, and endurance are presented as labeled progress bars with percentage values read aloud.
- Combat alerts — Entering and leaving combat triggers an immediate screen reader announcement.
- Full keyboard navigation — Every control is reachable by keyboard with visible focus indicators. Skip link jumps straight to the command input.
- No mouse required — Type commands, press Enter. The game responds in text.
- Automatic adaptation — When you activate screen reader mode in-game, the web client automatically hides visual-only elements (maps, gauge animations, vital deltas) and switches to assertive announcements for faster feedback.
In-Game Screen Reader Mode
Type screenreader on after logging in to activate screen reader mode. This optimizes all game output for text-to-speech:
- ASCII maps disabled — no visual noise
- Colors stripped — clean text for TTS
- Room descriptions show full exit names instead of abbreviations
- Repetitive ambient messages (weather, atmosphere) suppressed
- Channel messages use plain text prefixes instead of brackets
- Simplified prompt: HP, SP, EP as numbers
Use the nearby command to hear what is in each adjacent room by direction — a text alternative to the ASCII map.
Type screenreader off to restore all your previous settings.
Telnet / MUD Clients
You can also connect with any traditional MUD client (Mudlet, TinTin++, MUSHclient, etc.) or a plain telnet connection. These are pure text interfaces and work naturally with screen readers. Connect to icesus.org port 4000.
What We Have Done
We target WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance across our web properties. Here is what we have implemented:
In-Game
- Dedicated screenreader command that optimizes all output for TTS
- nearby command — text alternative to the visual ASCII map
- Weather and ambient message suppression in screen reader mode
- Plain text channel prefixes (no brackets that confuse TTS)
- Settings snapshot and restore — toggle without losing your preferences
- GMCP notification to web client for automatic UI adaptation
Web Client
- Skip navigation link to jump directly to command input
- ARIA landmark roles (banner, main, navigation, complementary)
- Progress bars for HP, SP, and EP with proper ARIA attributes
- Assertive announcements for critical events (combat, connection state)
- Polite live region for game text output
- Labeled controls: direction pad, hotkeys, momentum buttons
- Visible keyboard focus indicators on all interactive elements
- Color contrast meeting AA ratios (4.5:1 for text, 3:1 for UI)
- Reduced motion support — animations disabled when requested by OS
- Automatic screen reader mode via GMCP — visual-only elements hidden, assertive announcements enabled
- Decorative elements (icons, flourishes) hidden from assistive technology via aria-hidden
Main Website
- Semantic HTML structure with proper landmarks
- Skip navigation link
- Accessible link labels for icons and external links
- Keyboard-navigable with visible focus indicators
- Reduced motion support for snowfall animation
Wiki
- Responsive design supporting browser zoom up to 200%
- Color contrast fixes for dark theme
- Keyboard focus indicators
- Built on MediaWiki which provides baseline accessibility features
Known Limitations
We are honest about where we are not perfect yet:
- The game uses ANSI color codes in its text output. Screen readers ignore the colors — the underlying text is always fully readable, but color-conveyed emphasis (like red for damage) is not available to non-visual users.
- Some older in-game help files and area descriptions use ASCII art formatting that may be less meaningful through a screen reader.
- The game map is visual. The nearby command provides a text alternative, listing adjacent rooms and their occupants by direction.
Accessibility is ongoing work. We improve continuously.
Get Involved
We welcome feedback and contributions from the accessibility community:
- Report an issue — GitHub Issues. Tag it with "accessibility" and we will prioritize it.
- Join our community — Discord. We have players and developers who care about making Icesus accessible to everyone.
- Contribute code — The web client is open to pull requests. If you use a screen reader and find something we missed, we want to hear about it.
Standards and Contact
We target WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance. This page was last reviewed on .
For accessibility questions or to report a barrier, please open an issue on GitHub or reach out on Discord.