Articles

{sidebar id=3}{sidebar id=1}This is a phrase my friend Nick came up with when he set me up with my first blog about accessible gaming. I think I will full on steal it and use it for a way to explain what I am doing (does that constitute tag-jacking?). The phrase seems very fitting to what I want to try and do with AbleGamers.

Often we gamers are ostracized, and sometimes by our own choice. As terms which were used as insults become co-opted by the communities being insulted, so have gamers co-opted the terms of derision heard many times. Geek and nerd have been thrown at gamers one time or another as an insult. So in defense and then with pride these same terms became badges of distinction. Of course this is all well ploughed ground and I only add this to explain my point.

While co-opting a term can take some of the sting out of an insult, it also can become a tool to exclude; when walls are built for shelter, they can grow so high that many who would shelter within are excluded. There is a part of [geek] that is not visible, not known, not understood and perhaps even excluded out of ignorance or fear. That is the gamers with disabilities.

Whoever the gamer, whatever the game and regardless of the disability, they are gamers first, last and always. For those of us blessed with full use of our senses, cognitive potential and mobility the game world is our oyster, unless you're a vegetarian, then perhaps it's our Tofurkey sandwich (mmmm...Tofurkey on rye, with a little swiss, so good!).

For those who find the world doesn't quite fit their particular peg, those with sensory or mobility or other disabilities, these games can present challenges beyond a really tough boss-fight, somewhat vague card rule or killer dungeon-level. Even the act of getting a copy of a game, or a way to play that game they own, can be difficult.

The studies abound regarding barriers that exist for those with disabilities. Those of us lucky enough to live in the developed world (if you are reading this on a computer that means you) have seen increasing access and increasing awareness of those with disabilities over the past few decades. While there remains much to do, slowly but surely barriers are coming down. The United States of America (my home) has strong legislation and has mandated that public spaces (both meat- and cyber-) be accessible.

Private spaces, and that is what is created when a group of friends (or even strangers) meet to play a game, are not mandated to be accessible. This is where I feel my calling to help, to give back to gaming, to make a difference comes in.

I challenge everyone who reads this to think about their favorite recreational game - video, board, pen-and-paper, cards, etc. - and then imagine playing that game blindfolded, with earplugs, confined to a wheelchair, gagged, in a country where you don't speak the language with a broken hand (or two), while sleep deprived or otherwise unable to focus or comprehend; maybe with more than one of those conditions at the same time.

• Monopoly has pieces that are distinct in shape, but how would you read the property cards if you couldn't see them?
• D&D is lots of fun, but what if the words on your character sheet, or rule book, always got mixed up, or backwards?
• Shuffling that Munchkin deck without hands becomes something new entirely.
• How would you get to the Friday night poker game at your friend's house if you were in a wheelchair?

There are millions of people around the world who live, love, laugh and PLAY with these disabilities every day. But there are billions of people on this planet. We are all human, we all seek to find our way in life, and we all love to goof off, to pursue our interests, even the ones we [geek] out about. Why don't we try and make sure that everyone can get their [geek] on, and make room at the table for another player, a fellow gamer.

As this blog continues I will try to share what I learn. Part of that learning will be expanding my world to better understand disabilities in general and how that impacts gaming in particular. My focus is and will remain on gaming, but I am open to learning as much as possible. Be gentle but firm in your corrections and know that this humble learner is a willing student.