Gaming with a Disability: Your Struggles, Accomplishments, and Thoughts.

[QisTopTier]

"Wait he's playing?", "Do we need to go easy on him?", "He can't even plug his shit in..." are only a few things I hear said around me in whispers along with laughter and staring. I'm at a local tournament and I'm surrounded by people that question why I'm even there bothering to try. I don't let things like this bother me, I'm here to enjoy myself. As the tournament moves forward I'm placed against the "Do we need to go easy on him?" guy and I take the match quite cleanly only to turn to him when he wanted to handshake and tell him "Guess I should have went easy on you instead." He looks disappointed in himself and he apologizes not realizing I heard him before. By the end of the night as I climb up to semi finals the crowd of people that had said those whispers are behind me, cheering for me, gasping at every intense moment, the group of people that even wondered why I was there in the first place are now completely focused on my matches and it felt amazing.

Playing games with a disablitiy can feel alienating and seeing the motion controll stuff start to pick up and look pretty fun at the height of when my condition kicked into high gear was really taxing on me mentally. "Are games going to be this going forward?" "How am I suposed to play this stuff?" are some of the many thoughts that crossed my mind. Of course at the moment we know this isn't how things panned out but it was a concern. Something I've been enjoying almost everyday, since I could hold a NES controller in my hand, am I going to lose this soon? The feeling of victory, the feeling of defeat, the feeling of outsmarting the game, was I about to lose these things? No I wasn't. I was panicking for no reason. The gaming landscape as a whole isn't going to change 100% overnight and the things I played growing up will still be there for me for as long as I can still play them.

Over time I have come to accept myself, I have Muscular Dystrophy, I can barely stand from a sitting position, I can barely walk and I'm at constant risk of falling if I do, my arms are completely shot, right hand barely works, spine is a complete wreck and things are only going to get worse as the years go by. These days games can feel like uphill challenges to play but I'm enjoying them more than I ever have. These are challenges I can overcome, worlds I can visit while I'm forever trapped indoors, they lead to meeting new friends, communities to join, and for better or worst new conflicts and arguments. For someone in my shoes this hobby is one of the greatest things imaginable and I'll never let anything hold me back from enjoying it even if I have to give it all a little handicap.

 

[harz-marz]

That's an inspirational story, thank you for sharing. In modern times with all this negativity in gaming, it's good to hear you enjoy them more than ever.

Games now are more accessible than ever with various input methods - pads, touch screens, VR, motion controls etc.

Keep on enjoying this amazing hobby!!

 

[AZ Greg]

It's great that you remain positive and persevere, but why the need to stoop to their level with a witty rebuttal?

 

[petran79]

Thanks for the inspiring story.

Ever since I was an infant I could barely see with my right eye (glaucoma), but the last 15 years things are completely dark. I see only through my left eye, which has notable myopia too.

I got used to it though. No dizziness while reading, watching tv or playing games and sports. Though It would be more convenient if I was left- handed

 

[Heraldic]

Thank you for sharing your story. I too struggle and live with a neurological disorder called tourette syndrome. I was diagnosed around the age of eight and have struggled with at times extreme discomfort from my arms or hands flailing about uncontrollably, or my eyes that will not stop repeatedly blinking. And those are just the physical ramifications not to mention the social. In the end it is emotionally difficult to play video games because I do feel as though it makes my tics worse,perhaps due to the over stimulation perhaps. But, it's something I enjoy, so I'm always faced with a difficult descion.

 

[QisTopTier]

It's great that you remain positive and persevere, but why the need to stoop to their level with a witty rebuttal?

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Because I was serious about winning and putting the effort in. At a fighting game tournament if you are gonna talk smack in the open don't be shocked when the person you are talking smack about drops some back on you and I wanted to make it loud and clear that I heard him.

 

[AZ Greg]

Because I was serious about winning and putting the effort in. At a fighting game tournament if you are gonna talk smack in the open don't be shocked when the person you are talking smack about drops some back on you and I wanted to make it loud and clear that I heard him.

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But that's only because you perceive his comment as "smack" talk. It sounds more like uneducation on his part, unless there's more to it than just that comment. That said, the easiest way to combat this is to show them the work you put in by beating them. They'll stop doubting after that. No need for an equally as uneducated quip.

 

[QisTopTier]

I got used to it though. No dizziness while reading, watching tv or playing games and sports. Though It would be more convenient if I was left- handed

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Glad to hear you were able to overcome something like that and go about your day as normal :)

In the end it is emotionally difficult to play video games because I do feel as though it makes my tics worse,perhaps due to the over stimulation perhaps. But, it's something I enjoy, so I'm always faced with a difficult descion.

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On days when I feel weak or in pain and are still in the mood I typically find myself spending time with card games. The generally slower nature of them let's me relax :)

But that's only because you perceive his comment as "smack" talk. It sounds more like uneducation on his part, unless there's more to it than just that comment. That said, the easiest way to combat this is to show them the work you put in by beating them. They'll stop doubting after that. No need for an equally as uneducated quip.

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You serious? What I said wasn't even bad. I had to put up with him and his friends laughing and cracking jokes behind my back for almost 2 hours. I feel the humble pie was pretty well deserved and was one of the things that got the crowd on my side by the end of the night.

 

[Nuclearaddict]

I've got facial tics and some OCD tics that have gotten me killed countless times in games. It's annoying, but it's how I've lived my life for as long as I can remember, so I make do and continue on. In real life it can be a bit trickier, because people assume I'm on drugs.

 

[Levito]

Thank you for sharing your story, great read.

 

[QisTopTier]

I've got facial tics and some OCD tics that have gotten me killed countless times in games. It's annoying, but it's how I've lived my life for as long as I can remember, so I make do and continue on. In real life it can be a bit trickier, because people assume I'm on drugs.

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Yeah, people can be super judgmental on seeing people at first glance. My condition left me very scrawny so even when I could still move around half decently people assumed I was on drugs too. It's really messed up that people jump to conclusions like that but it says more about the world these days if that's the first thing they jump to rather than the person in most cases.

 

[Heraldic]

On days when I feel weak or in pain and are still in the mood I typically find myself spending time with card games. The generally slower nature of them let's me relax :).

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Physical cards like magic the gathering or digital like hearthstone? I find the slower pace and less stimulation in magic the card game to result in less tics. Despite the fact I enjoy hearthstone alot and am looking forward to magic arena ( the digital version of magic the gathering that I'm excited about ) I find that the graphical effects at times result in making my tics worse.

 

[QisTopTier]

Physical cards like magic the gathering or digital like hearthstone? I find the slower pace and less stimulation in magic the card game to result in less tics. Despite the fact I enjoy hearthstone alot and am looking forward to magic arena ( the digital version of magic the gathering that I'm excited about ) I find that the graphical effects at times result in making my tics worse.

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I play a mix of phyiscal and digital. Though for me these days that is getting pretty hard on the physical side of things. I'm really looking forward to magic arena myself. Have you thought of sending an email to the devs there about making sure there are options to remove graphical effects in the game?

 

[Nuclearaddict]

Yeah, people can be super judgmental on seeing people at first glance. My condition left me very scrawny so even when I could still move around half decently people assumed I was on drugs too. It's really messed up that people jump to conclusions like that but it says more about the world these days if that's the first thing they jump to rather than the person in most cases.

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Some people are just ignorant. Just try to be the best human you can be and shrug at stuff like that.

How old are you, buddy? I struggled a lot around 18 when I was transitioning into the working work as a young adult, because potential employers, dates and peers looked at me differently. I was very self conscious of it and began to rely heavily on weed and Xanax. I realized what path I was heading down and decided to learn to love EVERYTHING about myself, tics and all. I'm 30 now and just laugh if someone looks at me funny or just give a wink and a smile. People are gonna look and judge no matter. My real friends never gave a crap about any tic. We usually have a good laugh about them sometime and they there to listen on days where it bothers me a lot.

Next time someone gives you shit just kill em with kindness, my friend.

But damn man, when I've got a good camping spot and I know I've got the drop on someone, but then I've got to rub my face and eyes and the person iumps out and gets me cause my hands are busy. Every time.

 

[Heraldic]

I play a mix of phyiscal and digital. Though for me these days that is getting pretty hard on the physical side of things. I'm really looking forward to magic arena myself. Have you thought of sending an email to the devs there about making sure there are options to remove graphical effects in the game?

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No, haven't thought of that. Sad to say but I just assume I have no voice and something like that wouldn't be done. But I will def consider it. It sure would be nice for someone with my condition. Main reason why I was focused on playing the current magic online client as it is now over hearthstone, due to HS effects being over the top.

 

[GTAce]

Bedridden gamer with Spinal Muscular Atrophy here (rare form, allegedly first world wide).
Can't use most peripherals, motion controls and stuff like that. Also can't use the Switch's JoyCons.
One of the reasons why I play most shooters on PC, even with a disadvantage against K/M players: I can switch out the L3 with the touchpad on my DS4.
I can't sprint because of this in a lot of shooters on PS4, but I'd have to swap the button with another important function.
Unfortunately I cannot use keyboard and mouse either.

Here's an old video of me, explaining some of my struggles. It's REALLY outdated though:


Fortunately things got much better. Customizable controls on PS4 and X1, the Steam Controller options, less emphasis on motion controls (outside of VR).

EDIT: Jebus, the video is so not representing current times haha.

 

[Sheentak]

Have Dyphraxia here, i struggle alot with rhythm and anything that requires precise button presses it can be really frustrating at times.

 

[QisTopTier]

Some people are just ignorant. Just try to be the best human you can be and shrug at stuff like that.

How old are you, buddy? I struggled a lot around 18 when I was transitioning into the working work as a young adult, because potential employers, dates and peers looked at me differently. I was very self conscious of it and began to rely heavily on weed and Xanax. I realized what path I was heading down and decided to learn to love EVERYTHING about myself, tics and all. I'm 30 now and just laugh if someone looks at me funny or just give a wink and a smile. People are gonna look and judge no matter. My real friends never gave a crap about any tic. We usually have a good laugh about them sometime and they there to listen on days where it bothers me a lot.

Next time someone gives you shit just kill em with kindness, my friend.

But damn man, when I've got a good camping spot and I know I've got the drop on someone, but then I've got to rub my face and eyes and the person iumps out and gets me cause my hands are busy. Every time.

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I hit 31 this month. One of the earliest struggles I had was deciding if I should learn to drive and get a car. Like I wanted to move about and use my body for as much as I could while I could so I typically just walked or rode a bike everywhere. By the time that started to get stressful I decided against it because I didn't want to be a danger to anyone on the road. But yeah I'm very positive these days about myself, hell I even crack a gentle joke about myself to get people to lighten up at times since they can feel like they are walking on eggshells around me. You 100% have the right idea about things.

And yeah having good friends makes dealing with stuff of this nature so much easier, I've known my best friend since I was 8 and my other really close friend since 12. They have always been there for me and I can't even begin to describe how greatful I am to them.

 

[Duxxy3]

Not really a disability.

For a few years I couldn't play games on a keyboard and mouse. Keyboard was fine, but my right hand/arm had all sorts of issues with a mouse. Hand would start to tingle, then hurt and then the rest of the arm would do the same. I could use a controller just fine because of the position of my arm. But I couldn't play PC games because so many of them didn't support controller or just had sub par support. So there's this large chunk of time where I just played consoles and couldn't play my old favorite PC games like I could before.

As it turns out, it was my elbow. In particular the ulnar nerve in my elbow. It's still not fixed, but it's not bad as long as I avoid resting my elbow on anything. If I do, it takes only minutes before I feel my pinky start to tingle (that's the first sign).

It can easily be tracked in my 52 game challenges the last 4 years

2014 - Almost all console, no KB/M games.
http://www./forum/showpost.php?p=96907385&postcount=421
2015 - Almost all console, no KB/M games.
http://www./forum/showpost.php?p=145201318&postcount=201
2016 - In june of last year I played my first KB/M game in years.
http://www./forum/showpost.php?p=190929071&postcount=63
2017 - A little under half of the games I played have been KB/M
http://www./forum/showpost.php?p=227455181&postcount=40

 

[GTAce]

As it turns out, it was my elbow. In particular the ulnar nerve in my elbow. It's still not fixed, but it's not bad as long as I avoid resting my elbow on anything. If I do, it takes only minutes before I feel my pinky start to tingle (that's the first sign).

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Sounds good! Glad you found the issue and don't say "not really a disability". It's a disability as soon as it handicaps you. A light disability maybe, but still.

 

[QisTopTier]

Fortunately things got much better. Customizable controls on PS4 and X1, the Steam Controller options, less emphasis on motion controls (outside of VR).

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Yeah I was really happy to see the system side custom controls and I hope they continue to listen to suggestions that can help out struggling players.

Speaking of motion controls I felt pretty let down when I found out just how many SHAKE THE CONTROLLER actions are in Mario Odessey specially when half the controller is basically duplicated buttons. Like ok I'll try but it wears out my game time really quickly :l

 

[GTAce]

Speaking of motion controls I felt pretty let down when I found out just how many SHAKE THE CONTROLLER actions are in Mario Odessey specially when half the controller is basically duplicated buttons. Like ok I'll try but it wears out my game time really quickly :l

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Ah, thanks, good to know. Won't be playing it then.

 

[Numb]

You the man Q
I won't fight you in BB tho
Don't need the embarrassment

 

[Karak]

I have a couple friends and close family with various ailment so I have covered this but don't suffer from any. That being said the most important plus for PC gamers I have found is using something like Voice Attack. Hell I even use it for editing at times. Its incredible and a couple of my friends/fans with immobility in various limbs have used it for great success.

 

[QisTopTier]

Ah, thanks, good to know. Won't be playing it then.

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If you can play with friends I think it's a fairly unique couch co op game :) That's how I'm handling the harder objectives in the game now since the two headed ogre nature of the co op lowers some of the input burden on my side.

 

[Diarrhea Day-Lewis]

Thanks for sharing your story. My dad used to play games with me when I was a kid, n64 stuff, but his CP makes it hard to keep up with games nowadays. We used to play Goldeneye and Shadows of the Empire, cheats enabled for him to make it less frustrating when he can't respond fast enough.

I wish games in general were more accessible for people with varying disabilities.

 

[Aiustis]

Much respect. The coolest thing I ever saw was this kickass dude playing Street Fighter with his feet.

 

[Deaf Spacker]

I have Cerebral Palsy and even though it's fairly mild it does affect my hands.

However despite that I don't struggle too much, I like a wide variety of game types but my favourites are racing games, I prefer the Xbox Elite controller and several people have said to me that despite my disability my hand control is phenomenal.

However I can't do certain things like install computer components - I have to ask for help and certain in game actions can be a ballache, the driving whilst aiming a gun and firing in GTA V springs to mind, oh and the yoga mission as the analogue sticks needed to be contorted whilst releasing both triggers.

 

[QisTopTier]

I wish games in general were more accessible for people with varying disabilities.

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Thankfully I feel like they are slowly getting better about it, the loss of cheat codes does suck on this end though.

Much respect. The coolest thing I ever saw was this kickass dude playing Street Fighter with his feet.

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Look up BrolyLegs he is awesome :)

However I can't do certain things like install computer components - I have to ask for help and certain in game actions can be a ballache, the driving whilst aiming a gun and firing in GTA V springs to mind, oh and the yoga mission as the analogue sticks needed to be contorted whilst releasing both triggers.

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Yeah I'm struggling with my right hand in that regard it's kinda in a permanent claw shape with very little lift on the fingers . So right side trigger stuff can be a pain. I feel extremely lucky that the muscles for my thumbs haven't been effected by it yet.

 

[Numb]

BrolyLegs is a legend

 

[QisTopTier]

BrolyLegs is a legend

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He's one of the bigger inspirations for me. If that dude can play with his mouth I got no room to worry about my hands getting worse and holding me back. Figure out how to do the thing you love the best you can and push on :)

 

[Numb]

He's one of the bigger inspirations for me. If that dude can play with his mouth I got no room to worry about my hands getting worse and holding me back. Figure out how to do the thing you love the best you can and push on :)

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It's not even average but he is a high tier player

 

[Cindi Mayweather]

You are an inspiration. Sometimes I imagine you getting your dues and people respecting you for what you do on a global scale at a major tournament. Keep fighting, keep training. You have many people who look up to you and fuck the people who treat you with disrespect and kiddie gloves. Bop those fuckers like no tomorrow and keep bopping. Keep fighting.

 

[Deleted member 8001]

Awesome to hear you persevere. I don't have any disabilities, but I have bad thumb, fingers, and wrists problems to the point where i'll sometimes use my middle fingers on the trigger because it hurts too much to use my index finger. For my thumbs, sometimes a light pain will prevent me from going a certain speed, or stop me for less than a second preventing me from doing what I actually want to do. I would show up to Smash tournaments with gloves and wrist braces. Lately I've been doing more to take it easier on my hands and wrists like getting an ergonomic mouse and keyboard and it's helped a lot.

Seeing this post motivates me to keep up with it.

 

[QisTopTier]

It's not even average but he is a high tier player

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It certainly is always great to see him beat people I still need to see how his book is.

Keep fighting.

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That's the plan :P

I would show up to Smash tournaments with gloves and wrist braces. Lately I've been doing more to take it easier on my hands and wrists like getting an ergonomic mouse and keyboard and it's helped a lot.

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Yeah, once you have issues with things it's always important to take care of yourself and get the tools you need to keep yourself in the hobby if you want to be in it while taking care of yourself. Keep intense game sessions shorter if you have to, figure out workarounds to the old ways you did things and make note of the things that makes things worse so you can avoid them in the future.

I think a good thing for people in scenarios like that is to give more calming less intense things a shot even if they don't think they will like anything like that, you never know until you try :)

hat being said the most important plus for PC gamers I have found is using something like Voice Attack.

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I had no idea about this looked up some things on it and it looks great all around. I'm stuck laying in bed a lot of the time so I'm a bit slower on things on pc unless Im sitting up which is hard to do for long periods of time. So something like this seems like a nice help. Thank you :)

 

[TheBeardedOne]

I'm glad that gaming has become friendlier to those with physical disabilities, and that there are groups/charities/developers out there who make it their mission to help people dealing with them. I'm not physically disabled, so I can't really say much personally, but I do have a friend who games with a disability and I'm glad that he can.

It's inspiring, and I know I'd hate to not be able to do what I love.

I just have a hard time focusing on games because of my anxiety. Always worrying doesn't help.