Hey everyone!
I started a Twitch channel to help show how to adapt games, because a physical disability should never prevent someone from having fun! I try to show how I’ve customized control layouts, used software (such as Voice Attack and Joy2Key), and a variety of non-specialized hardware to play games to the fullest extent possible. I’ll be doing a series of streams/videos where I pick (or take requests for) games. Maybe the new Call of Honorable Warfare just came out, but it uses 27 different buttons but it just looks SO COOL. Let’s take a crack at it together until we’ve bent it to our will!
A bit about me and what got me started with this:
I was born with a degenerative genetic neuromuscular disorder called Charcot Marie Tooth. I’ve loved playing video games my entire life, but the particular method I’d use to play may suddenly not work 5 years down the road. I know the anguish well of having an amazing-looking game put out of reach because of complex controls, and I want to help others overcome those barriers.
Right now I use a convoluted system of inputs while gaming. I can’t move my fingers so I use my right palm to hit the left and right mouse buttons and scroll wheel, my left palm uses the L-stick on an Xbox controller, and that pink thing in the photo? That’s the toothbrush I use in my mouth to hit the keyboard keys. It took some practice to use Voice Attack with a toothbrush in my mouth (plus the fact I have paralyzed vocal chords), but persistence paid off. I know my setup won’t work for everyone, but that’s where the fun of defying the odds to figure out solutions comes in.
Life seems like it’d be pretty boring if everything came easy and there were no challenges. Challenges are meant to be overcome, challenges are little more than opportunities for creative solutions, so let’s think outside-the-box shall we?
Toss me a follow if you’d like. If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear them!
https://www.twitch.tv/forged_hands
My streaming schedule is:
Tues and Thurs: start at 6pm MST/8pm EST
Saturday: 3pm MST/5pm EST
Twitter is https://twitter.com/ForgedHands
In addition to stream announcements, I like to share my thoughts on accessibility in gaming, electronics, and any other fun details that float to the surface of my (rather strange) mind.
