Subtitles versus captions
The two words are often used interchangeably, but they describe different things. Subtitles present spoken dialogue as text, and are often assumed to be for players who can hear the sound but do not follow the language. Captions present dialogue plus other meaningful sounds, such as footsteps, alarms or music cues, and are designed for people who cannot hear the audio.
In game menus, the labels are not consistent, and the same setting may be called either. What matters is what the feature actually does. A setting that only shows spoken lines leaves out information that hearing players receive, such as an enemy approaching from behind. Good support aims for captions-level information, even when the menu says subtitles.
Many players with no hearing loss also use them: to follow fast speech, understand accents, play quietly at night or in a noisy place. This is a good reminder that a feature built for access tends to help a wide range of people.
Whether they are on by default
A basic issue is where the option is found. If a game’s first scene has important dialogue and the subtitle setting is hidden in a deep menu, deaf and hard of hearing players may miss the opening. Better practice includes:
- Asking about subtitles on the first screen, or turning them on by default.
- Letting players change settings before the first cutscene.
- Keeping the setting reachable during play and cutscenes through a pause menu.
- Remembering the choice in the player’s profile.
Many players cannot hear a request to find the setting, so it should not depend on audio.
Text size and readability
Small text is the most frequent complaint. Many games are played on a television from the couch or on a handheld device, where tiny letters are hard to read, and players with low vision may not read them at all.
Useful options include:
- Several text sizes, with the largest being genuinely large. Preview the effect on a real example line.
- A background box or outline, with adjustable opacity. Without it, white text on a bright sky or snow vanishes. A semi-opaque dark box is a common solution, and a slider lets the player choose.
- Choice of color, within reason. High contrast between text and background matters more than the specific hue. Color options also overlap with visual accessibility concerns such as contrast.
- A clear, simple typeface. Decorative fonts can suit a title screen but make long lines harder to read.
- Sensible line length and placement. Two lines at a time, broken at natural phrases, positioned where they do not cover the action. Some players like to move the position.
Speaker labels
When several characters talk, or when the speaker is off-screen, the player needs to know who is speaking. Approaches include:
- A name before the line, such as “Mara: Over here.”
- A different color per speaker, as long as color is not the only signal, since some players cannot tell the colors apart.
- A symbol or icon.
- A direction indicator for off-screen speakers, such as an arrow or “(from the left).”
Be consistent. If one character is labeled by name in one chapter and by a color in another, the player has to relearn the scheme. Labeling should be an option, because some players find it clutters the screen when the speaker is obvious.
Sound captions
Games convey a great deal of information through sound that never appears in dialogue: footsteps, doors, an enemy’s warning cry, a timer, a hidden item chime. A player who cannot hear these has missed a part of the game’s design. For this reason, designers often create audio cues that warn and guide, and captions or visual equivalents carry that same information to players who cannot hear it.
Good sound captions are:
- Brief and specific. “[Door creaks]” or “[Footsteps behind you]” is better than “[Sound]”.
- Prioritized. In a busy scene, dozens of sounds happen at once. Captions should focus on those that affect decisions, just as audio mixing gives priority to the important sounds for hearing players.
- Directional where it matters. An indicator showing where the sound came from helps with threats and puzzle clues, in a way that echoes the role of spatial audio.
- Timed with the sound, and long enough to read.
- Optional in detail. Some players want only dialogue, some want everything, and a few levels in between is helpful.
Music captions also matter when music carries emotion or signals a change, as in “[Tense music]” or “[Music stops]”. Use them sparingly so they do not become noise.
Timing and speed
Lines that flash for a second are difficult to read. As a rule of thumb, text should stay up long enough to be read comfortably at a modest pace, longer for long lines, and should not disappear while the speaker is still talking. Some players read slowly, so a setting that extends display time helps. In cutscenes where the player can skip, make sure that skipping does not remove important information without a way to review it, such as a dialogue log.
A dialogue history is a valuable addition. It lets a player who missed a line catch up, and it helps players with memory differences. This connects to the ideas in cognitive accessibility, where records of what was said reduce mental load.
Testing
The most reliable way to check subtitles is to play with sound off, starting from a fresh install. Can you find the setting? Can you follow the story? Do you know who is talking? Can you tell why you were hurt? Then ask deaf and hard of hearing players to do the same, since their experience will reveal issues that testers with hearing do not notice. A quick pass can reveal whether the basics work, and deeper reviews can follow.