  The landscape of digital games is segregated by player ability. For example,
sighted players have a multitude of highly visual games at their disposal,
while blind players may choose from a variety of audio games. Attempts at
improving cross-ability access to any of those are often limited in the
experience they provide, or disregard multiplayer experiences. We explore
ability-based asymmetric roles as a design approach to create engaging and
challenging mixed-ability play. Our team designed and developed two
collaborative testbed games exploring asymmetric interdependent roles. In a
remote study with 13 mixed-visual-ability pairs we assessed how roles affected
perceptions of engagement, competence, and autonomy, using a mixed-methods
approach. The games provided an engaging and challenging experience, in which
differences in visual ability were not limiting. Our results underline how
experiences unequal by design can give rise to an equitable joint experience.
