Evil Controllers Making Accessible Gaming Eviler - Part 2

In part two of our interview with Adam Coe, founder of Evil Controller, we discuss the new partnership between the two organizations. (You can get to part one here) Evil Controller believes that the disabled gamer community is underserved and they hope to help increase the availability of specialized controllers for both individuals and the general disabled community.

Steve Spohn, AbleGamers: What would you say the common interests are between Evil Controller and AbleGamers?

Adam Coe, Evil Controller:  The common interest between Evil Controller and AbleGamers is the advancement of video game peripherals. Overall, we believe that video games and neglecting the rising numbers of disabled gamers. We hope to bring awareness to this dilemma and offer products that can help people play games.

SS: What was special about the controller you made for AbleGamers?

AC: I made a controller specifically for people missing their right hand. I was able to relocate all the controller functions comfortably to the left side of the controller. By adding a “reprogrammable” feature, the controller actually allows the user to relocate the buttons on the controller. This allows for the adaptation to different and even future games on the fly. Essentially all the controllers functions are located on the left side, besides the Right Thumb-stick. The buttons are operated by the left hands Thumb, Index, Middle, and Ring finger.

SS: Was it successful?

AC: Yes it was! It actually allowed the user to play games they weren’t capable of before!

SS: What do you think the joint venture will bring?

AC: I believe working together will bring lots of opportunities and hope for accessible gamers. By working together, I believe we can make an immense impact in the industry, which will increase awareness of accessibility.

SS: Do you think specialized controllers are currently unaffordable and out of the reach of most of the AbleGamer nation?

AC: Unfortunately some large custom controller projects can be expensive, but some can be cheap as well. It really depends on the person’s mobility that will determine cost of the controller. However, I believe a controller can be developed that can encompass a large amount of accessible gamers at an affordable price.

SS: How do you plan to change that?

AC: I plan to come up with many different “general” designs that can be applied to different controller projects. By adding the “reprogrammable” feature to the controller, I am able to develop designs that can be used by an array of accessible gamers. By offering a few select designs, we will be able to assemble the product faster and more efficiently which will reduce the cost drastically.

SS: How can we help further accessibility in hardware such as controllers; i.e. other than purchasing, what can the consumer do to help point you guys the right direction?

AC: Continue to work hard making the issue of controllers known to the gaming community. By brining awareness, larger companies may lend a helping hand and incorporate disabled gamers issues and complaints into future games. Feedback is crucial for improvement of the peripherals for gaming.

SS: Do you think part of the problem is a lack of public recognition, such as Christopher Reeves bringing attention to spinal cord injury or Michael J. Fox with Parkinson’s?

AC: Yes, I believe some of it is lack of public recognition. If companies were more aware of today’s peripheral issues and how they impact people’s lives, they may be more proactive on fixing issues.

SS: If you were to become disabled tomorrow, what kind of controller setup would you design for yourself so that you could continue to enjoy video games?

AC: It depends on my disability, but I would incorporate voice commands and a controller that has several different button designs. Also with the ability to relocate functions and recording macros.

SS: Does the design already exist and if not, why do you think that no one has taken the time to sit down and build such a magnificent system?

AC: I believe there are a few reasons, mostly money, history, and feedback. It is extremely expensive to produce a controller, especially one that can apply to all disabilities. To create a product that only has limited amount of clients also isn’t appealing to big companies. None of them have made strides in the accessible gaming direction, so unfortunately there’s also no history or feedback on the success of an “Accessible Controller.”

SS: If you could send one directive to the major gaming manufacturers that would make it easier for Evil Controller to help the disabled community, what would it be?

AC: Microsoft should give access to their controller manufacturing and compatibility with the 360 console for a 3^rd party Evil Controller.

SS: How has meeting AbleGamers changed your personal outlook on what you, not the company or the bottom line, but you personally think about disabled gamers?

AC: Meeting Able Gamers has made me more aware of the large scale of accessible gamers and the lacking customization in games. I believe companies can make big improvements in accessible gaming if they are proactive on the issue.

AbleGamers would like to thank Adam Coe and all of the extremely helpful staff at Evil Controller for their help in making this project happen.  For more information, please visit our press release right here.