#disabled gamers

[dreamsandcozygames]

For my fellow disabled gamers - check out "Can I Play That?":

"Can I Play That? provides accessibility game reviews, commentary, news, and accessibility reference guides. By disabled gamers, for disabled gamers."

[wrenfea]

I was playing fallout 76 and usually its been super inclusive and everyone has been so kind. There's always been some bigots but the developers have proven that they support LGBTQ people, giving us free pride flags to put in our camps and pride icons. I fear that this game is starting to get overrun by bigots though. It started with people nuking or attacking camps that had pride flags and now this shit.

I saw this camp while stopping by pleasant valley station. The camp had stuff about Epstein (conspiracy theory) and their vendor was blocked off. The camp was hidden on the map as well so I couldn't report it or figure out who the owner was. I saw a person standing in the camp but am not 100% sure that they were the owner. Their title is suspicious though. I would've looked around more but was getting super uncomfortable.

The worst part is, I made a post on one of the biggest fallout76 forums on reddit since other users have made posts about being queer and stuff so I thought it would be important to mention what I saw. Everyone immediately ganged up on me saying I was being a baby and just having MAGA stuff doesn't make them a nazi. These are the same people that complain about pride flags in peoples camps. I deleted the post out of fear I would be harassed and left the community.

Fallout 76 is my favorite game and I even got fallout first. The community has always been so kind to me and the game helps me relax. I just feel sick and I don't want to play anymore. I probably will keep playing but on a private world, at least for a while.

[disabled-dragoon]

hellow, quick question if I could yoink a little of your time good person.

So I am developing a game that centers around a main character who uses mobility aids. I have worked with my team to develop some game mechanics that I want to make sure are not going to end up being offensive in some way or a misrepresentation of disabled people. I am physically disabled myself but ive always been too scared to actually use mobility aids and nobody else on the development team uses mobility aids. So as the same person I am, I have gone on to tumblr (the obviously best choice for this matter) looking for opinions from people who use mobility aids. You do not have to awnser if you do not feel comfortable, or if you know of a better place to get insight on this matter that would be greatly appreciated.

So the main character is an ambulatory wheelchair user. And uses forearm crutches when not in a wheelchair. They have the super power to control metals which they use to create mobility aids for themselves on the go. One of their moves is to covert one of their crutches into a sword temporarily to attack enemys. They will also have a dash feature while using a wheelchair chair. The last main feature would be the main character having to use a wheelchair when their health gets too low.

thank you so much for any feedback that you are willing to provide I appreciate it very much!

Thanks again,

Your favorite disabled anon sibling

Oh this sounds so interesting!!! I hope it goes well for you!

I don't think I can give you a lot of advice, unfortunately, especially regarding crutches (I've used them briefly before but it's been a while), but I do have some thoughts on the concept as a whole!

So first thoughts:

Love the sword idea. I'm curious as to how the crutches turn into a sword (I'm imagining either a handheld sword, or a long sword), but I love it. That sounds amazing.

Wheelchairs can be used as a small bit of extra storage, like a little bag on the back or a basket on the bottom. It's kind like a separate storage system/storage expansion. Like in RDR2 where you can store things on the horse, but can't access said storage unless you're on/next to it.

Storage on wheelchairs is still a bit limited due to weight restrictions etc. (depending on how realistic you want to get, although I suppose that could be counteracted with the metal powers). Also, it's a bit limited when using forearm crutches in terms of being able to carry things.

Does the character travel across a world? Encounter different environments? Consider how the aids would be affected in different areas i.e. crutches don't work well on ice/slippery surfaces, wheels are slightly better but lose traction easily. Some wheelchairs don't do brilliantly in windy areas and sometimes struggle on grass and sand (unless designed for that environment).

Love the metal powers, that sounds so cool! I think, if possible, it would be interesting to see if they can upgrade/change their aids as/if their power grows over the game. I.e learning how to make different upgrades, like sand tires and ice ferrules (crutch feet).

Some people like to customise their aids to make them more personal, and crutches and wheelchairs aren't suited to every situation so it would be interesting to see how/if they could use their metal powers in this way.

What do they do when there isn't much metal, or do their aids sort of act like a personal supply? What if it breaks?

Do they have the option to use a wheelchair even when their health is not low?

Is their power affected in any way by their health and vice versa? Does it rely on their energy and/or stamina?

Because of their metal powers, can they disassemble their aids when not in use i.e. could they deconstruct/fold the crutches away when in the wheelchair and vice versa. I think that would be pretty cool. Give a whole new meaning to travel aids, and could make storage easier.

And some posts for consideration:

What wheelchair users want: Some good notes on this post. Basically being like "we also want unrealistic wheelchairs. Fast and the Furious wheelchairs. Mad Max wheelchairs." I love the dash function in the wheelchair, and if you were looking for other ideas this could be good to consider.

Accessible Wordbuilding: Some good advice on how to make a world more accessible for a disabled character.

Personally I think @cripplecharacters is an excellent blog to check out if you want more insight into writing mobility aid users, and disabled characters in general.

Writing Wheelchairs: This is a really good post (with examples!) about different types of wheelchairs, for different purposes and environments.

Crutch Pose References: A video showing different pose references for forearm crutch users.

Crutch Pose References 2 Sitting Edition: A video showing more crutch poses, sitting down this time.

Character Example: If you're looking for examples of cool characters who use wheelchairs and forearm crutches together, can I direct your attention to Charlie Webber/Sun-Spider, a Spiderman with EDS!

--

If anyone else has anything to say on this please just add on.

Ahh this sounds so cool! I really hope it works out for you!! Good luck!

[wheelchairmagegg]

[disabled-dragoon]

[ID: Screenshot of reblogged tags by tumblr user virgin vengeance. They read "you can't be that bad that easy mode is kicking your ass" /end ID]

all video games should have a “I’m shit at video games but I’m curious about the story and I don’t want to watch a let’s play” mode

[atomic-lola]

hi hi hi i saw your post promoting can i play that and. that post is the first time i've ever seen someone (who isn't myself) call carpal tunnel a disability and it was so so so nice. whenever i talk about my issues with my wrists and how it affects me, i feel like i need to justify and explain 100 times how it's actually an issue and not just "normal" levels of carpal tunnel syndrome. idrk where i'm going with this but uhhh tysm, just by talking abt urself u made me feel so so seen and valid 🥰

Oh, thanks for reaching out! I've gotten a lot of "hate mail" for posting that and sharing that website, but I'm glad it helped you feel valid! Carpal tunnel absolutely is a disability, but I feel like a lot of able bodied people don't "get" it, especially in gaming, so it definitely feels like you have to justify or explain it. It can be SO frustrating.

Disabled gamers have a place in video games, period. Solidarity 100%!!

[bluejay73ffs]

Anybody know where I can get a good turbo controller for my Nintendo switch? My hands are fucked up enough already and all this button mashing is making it so much worse.

[xxx-angie]

a reminder to my fellow disabled people it isn't wrong or make you less of a player for using accessibility options.

a reminder that playing on a low difficulty only or (like with games with minecraft) no difficulty

a reminder that using unlimited health options like in cult of the lamb is not bad or wrong and you are no less of a player for using it

turning brightness high on horror games like tattletale whether its because you are visually impaired or because you cannot handle the fear a low-light scene can cause.

disabled people are not any less a gamer for needing accessibility options. we are not any less a gamer for playing the game on easy. we are not any less a gamer because we are disabled and might not be able to get all the achievements or trophies or whatever a game has available.

we deserve to be able to enjoy the games we want to play

[disabled-dragoon]

@ablegaming

(Hope you don't mind the tag)

disability & mental health resources for gamers

hey all! so my day job is that i'm a social worker for neurodivergent people, and my (very awesome) boss asked me to put together a list of resources for our clients about gaming. this list focuses on video games, not TTRPGs, but i still wanted to share it here since there's so much overlap between our communities!

spreading this list is much appreciated. i am a game lover to the end but there is a lot of work our community needs to do for it to be as accessible, positive, and supportive as possible! you never know who might benefit from something on this list

resource list:

Games for Change - an organization that aims to promote a better world through gaming. Includes a curated list of games (with an accessibility features search) that promote growth or better mental health, or are disability accessible

Take This - decreasing stigma and increasing understanding, support, and resources for mental health in the gaming world. Includes mental health resources and consulting

Dager System - a disability in gaming journalism site that does educational videos, accessibility reviews, and has a searchable accessibility database (acquired "can I play that")

Taming Gaming (/ The Family Gaming Database) - an online searchable database designed to help parents and caregivers navigate good games for their kids. Includes curated lists of games for lots of different categories, including emotions and themes

Disability accessible game lists

Mental health game lists

Autism friendly games

AbleGamers - a charity making video games more accessible to the disability community. Includes consulting and adaptive technologies

Autistica Play - a branch of Autistica that aims to make video games more accessible to autistic people and educate game designers about autism

Autistic Gaming Initiative - streamers who raise funds for autistic led advocacy groups

Spectrum Gaming - an online / discord based community and advocacy group to unite autistic youth in gaming. lead by an autistic adult, but run by the autistic youth themselves

if people know of more, or know of orgs that focus on other disabilities (i mainly work with autistic people) please feel free to shoot them my way so i can update the list! using games to improve our lives and our world is a big passion of mine so i always appreciate learning about cool initiatives out there!

[zarathesilentgamer]

In case you didn't catch the stream or didn't know, here are all the Access-Ability Summer Showcase videos. Keep in mind that while you may have the disability mentioned, that the features might not help your particular form of disability. But it could help a lot of other people. So be thoughtful and kind. And just don't be a jerk.

[atinygamer]

AbleGamers 1st annual gala!

[punkeropercyjackson]

The Gaang as candies

No i will not elaborate /lh

[lettersfromavalon]

Some more edits including the basement and attic this time with some tweaks to the other rooms. Krobus has since moved in so I did a little decorating in his nook. Oh and I got a second cat. We now live with Void and Kiki 😸

[disabled-dragoon]

Hey hey hey if you're like me and you struggle to/can't use keyboard and mouse when gaming and prefer controller, I've found this excellent little video that explains how to connect a PS4 controller to your Steam.

On her channel she also details how to add a Switch controller and a Gamecube controller as well. (No Xbox I think, but I shall look for others)

Personally I found this incredibly helpful and easy to follow. I haven't tried it on other games besides Stardew Valley yet but I shall let you know when I do!

[wheelchairmagegg]

Playin with the bois ❤️‍🩹

[flowercrowncrip]

The adaptive controller I got for my switch is almost perfect for me I’m so happy! I can even play Mario kart (with some of the accessibility features turned on)

ID: a purple 8BitDo Lite SE adaptive controller in front of a switch playing Mario Kart. The controller sits flat on a table and has all of the buttons on the front (so no shoulder buttons). /end ID

I can basically only play video games using my thumbs and have a huge amount of trouble using the shoulder buttons on any controller. I also have problems pressing the plus and minus buttons due to the strength and dexterity needed.

This controller is designed for people with reduced strength who can’t reach the buttons on the back and is pretty much ideal for me. It’s opened up so many games I would either struggle to play or be totally unable to play. I’m really excited that I can play Mario Kart again because I loved the game as a kid. I need to turn on automatic acceleration and then I’m good to go!

It was really easy to set up, the battery life is great and it stays connected well. And the best part is that it’s incredibly cheap for an adaptive controller – I got mine for under £30.

It won’t suit everyone, but if it works for you it’s an amazing alternative to the other incredibly expensive adaptive controllers.