AbleGamers speaks to Randy "N0M4D" Fitzgerald

I first heard about Randy while I was covering the Season's Beatings fighting game tournament last week. Everyone had remembered a man playing at a Street Fighter 4 tournament in a wheelchair. People were talking about how good he was. One player, Charlie "Grog", who had seen him play at the event said, "The paralyzed guy I saw at Evo looked like he could beat me pretty easily."

I became intrigued.

I really wanted to speak with Randy. I wanted to ask him so many questions. So, after a little internet searching I was able to get a hold of him. I sent a short message, just mentioning AbleGamers and seeing if I could talk with him. I got a message back right away. He said of course! Then the interviewing began.

Tara:  Thanks for taking the time to sitdown with AbleGamers Randy.

Randy: My pleasure

Tara:  Why don't we start with you just telling me some information about yourself?

Randy: My full name is Randy Fitzgerald, but as you know, in the video game world I am known as N0M4D. I am 30 years old and currently reside in Rochester, Minnesota. I have worked in the video game industry since 2001 and have worked at companies such as Activision. I am currently finishing college online at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh for a Bachelor's Degree in Video Game Design and Development

Tara:  Awesome. Do you know what you want to do after you get your degree?

Randy: I am hoping my new business idea takes off, but if it does not, I would love to work for Infinity Ward.

Tara:  Can you tell me a little bit about your disability?

Randy: My disability is called Arthrogryposis. It is a non-genetic muscle and joint disorder. Basically underdeveloped muscles and joints in my arms and legs.

Tara:  Can you tell me about the controller you use to play games?

Randy:  I play video games with using only my mouth with a controller that I designed. The company that built my controller is also my pro gaming sponsor - EvilControllers.com . Despite the name, they are really awesome people. They are working on a new controller that you normal gamers can use and they are naming that product line N0M4D. I cannot go into detail about it quite yet, but it is going to be awesome!

Tara:  Was it hard learning to play with your mouth?

Randy:  I get asked that all the time.  What people don't understand is that when you are born a certain way, you don't know any different.  I naturally learned how to play.  And as video games became more complicated, I was able to adjust because I started on gaming consoles that only had one button.  Then the original Nintendo came out and that had two buttons.  Following that was the Sega Genesis, and that had three buttons, and so on.

Tara: I never thought about it like that. While we are talking about your controller, I was wondering something. How do you disinfect it since you play it with your mouth?

Randy: Evil Controllers designed my controller so that it would be easy to take apart and clean.  I wipe the buttons down with a mixture of rubbing alcohol and disinfectant soap.  And then I soak the face plate in the same mixture of rubbing alcohol and disinfectant soap.

Tara: Cool. So, why don't you tell me about your gamer tag?

Randy: N0M4D, spells out Nomad in what us geeks call "leet speak." The way I came up with the name Nomad was basically because I traveled a lot.  The other reason is more philosophical.  In my mind, a Nomad is someone who travels the world searching for their purpose in life, and along the way, they share their experiences and wisdom with the small villages they pass through.  And that's who I am, a person who is constantly looking for his purpose.

Tara: That's pretty cool. My gamer tag is only a Venture Brothers reference. Yours is way more deep than mine. Anyway, I hear the Activision named a control setting after you, using your gamer tag. Can you give me the details about that?

Randy: In 2007, the Call of Duty 4 beta was released on Xbox360. I had a difficult time playing that game because there was no toggle aim feature. I wrote my good friends over at Activision and right after the game released they put out a patch that added a new control setting and they named it N0M4D.

Tara: That's awesome. So when did you start gaming? Just casually, I mean?

Randy:  I started gaming when I was about three years old.  My dad used to go to the local bowling alley with his buddies.  To keep me occupied, he would pull a pinball machine up to a PAC Man machine.  He would then, take me out of my wheelchair, and lay me down on my stomach on top of the pinball machine.  Then I could reach the PAC Man machines joystick with my chin.  I got really good at that and my dad entered me and a local tournament and I got second place at only three years old.

Tara: That blows my mind. Three years old? I'm still not even that good at PAC Man. So, on the other side of gaming, when did you become a pro gamer?

Randy: I got into Pro Gaming as a hobby by attending the Major League Gaming competitions around the country in 2006. In 2007, I competed in Charlotte, North Carolina and gained pro status by playing Rainbow Six Vegas. That's where my fame really took off.

Tara:  What do you think your proudest moment in gaming is?

Randy: The 2007 Charlotte MLG event.  I proved to the world that a disabled gamer can compete alongside the world's best video game players.  I am honored and humbled that thousands of gamers around the world look to me as a role model.  I want to show the world that it's OK to be different and that things such as having a disability, shouldn't stop you from living your life to the fullest and dreaming big.  Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something.

Tara: Well said. So, what are your favorite games?

Randy: I love the first person shooters, fighting games, and role-playing games.  The games I am playing most right now are Street Fighter IV, Call of Duty 4, Rock Band 2, and Left 4 Dead.

Tara: I love Left 4 Dead. We have to play together sometime.  So what games do and don't work with your disability?

Randy: I can pretty much play anything except games that require motion controls.  I also can't play Rock Band other than singing.  I was disappointed that I couldn't play the drums with the controller.  Because of guitar hero, you can play using the controller, you don't need the peripherals.  I contacted Harmonix about that when rock band was first released, and they completely blew me off.  I am happy to hear AbleGamers is having better luck with them.

Tara:  What system are the easiest for you to play on?

Randy: Xbox360.  I couldn't play PlayStation 3 until a few months ago.  I bought an adapter that allows me to use my Xbox360 controller on the PlayStation.  Regarding the Wii, I can play the games that are classic controller enabled.  I was very disappointed that the new Punch Out game didn't use this feature.  I am looking forward to the New Super Mario Brothers though.

Tara: So that makes Wii the hardest system for you to use. It sucks that you couldn't play the new Punch Out.  I loved that game. Anyway, I hear your working on some awesome project. Can I hear about it?

Randy: Current projects include building a revolutionary new website that will allow you to stream your Xbox360, PlayStation 3, PC, or Nintendo Wii so that other people that log into the web site will be able to watch you play live from anywhere in the world. We hope to have this project completed by this time next year.

Tara: I can't wait. It sounds awesome. What do you think of Microsoft's newest project, Project Natal?

Randy: I am friends with quite a few people over there at Microsoft. If done correctly, Project Natal could be really great. It has voice recognition built in, so that's a plus. I understand not every game will be able to cater to a specific need, so my thoughts are that Project Natal will most likely be marketed towards parents wanting to keep their children healthy and fit. But I also think that game genres such as racing on Natal could be fantastic. If the game had an option to turn on disability mode, the individual could steer the car or vehicle by tilting their head left or right. They could incorporate the voice recognition with that, for instance, the user could say, "2nd gear" to shift up. I just hope they make enough competitive games that almost anyone can enjoy. I have tons of ideas and would love to be Microsoft's Guinea pig.

Tara: If you could say something to game developers about game accessibility, what would it be?

Randy: It's upsetting that a large part of the industry believes that individuals with disabilities is a small portion of their target market demographic.  What game developers need to understand is that individuals with disabilities do not have a lot of options when it comes to entertainment or activities.  For some, it's their gateway to a social life.  So my comment to the game developers that are listening, you can make your games more accessible by making some very minor changes.  I think it should be an industry standard that all games should have fully customizable button layouts.  That fixes 90% of the problem right there.  And for those developers that are all about motion controls, if you want to do something innovative or revolutionary, create something that almost anyone can participate in.  I beg the industry to not leave us disabled individuals behind.

Tara: I completely understand. AbleGamers is trying to get out the same sort of message. Now before we wrap this up is, do you have any advice for other people with disabilities who love video games?

Randy: Never give up. I think one of the things that contributed to my great gaming ability, was due to playing with able bodied players that were better than me.  I lost over and over and over.  But every time I lost, I gained a little bit more skill.  So my advice, don't give up, don't get discouraged, and play with gamers that are higher skilled.

Tara: Thanks Randy. It was great.

My email interview with Randy went really well and I learned a lot about him. He was really excited about AbleGamers and wants to help us spread the accessibility message. He even said that he would be honored to make an appearance at one of our fundraisers or trade show events. The interview had became more than just an interview, it became a budding friendship between Randy and AbleGamers, and even Randy and myself.

Since this interview N0M4D and I have exchanged gamer tags, become friends on Facebook and sent a few more just chatting emails.  I was even able to play him in Street Fighter 4. Of course, he beat me and on top of that, even got a couple perfects scores on my boyfriend. I can say from firsthand experience, someone has a nasty Balrog.

As I said, Randy is inspirational. He is a great person, with a great laugh, and a great cause. Randy is the true AbleGamer; he is a gamer first, someone with a disability second. He's shown that nothing can stop you when you try. I feel honored to have interviewed him, and to have a newfound friend.

If you would like to know more about Randy, go subscribe to his YouTube channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/TheRealN0M4D. There you can check out videos of him in action or even message him if you'd like to speak to him personally. I'm sure that he's respond to whatever you have to say.

Comments (5)

Carol Williams

October 28, 2009

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Awesome article!

Cheryl Hoyt

October 30, 2009

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people tell me they admire me but i admire you
you are very involved in life

Gavin

November 01, 2009

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Awesome!

If you're reading this, N0M4D, I'm sure that there are ways to play some of those games that don't work quite as well. For Rock Band, a little bit of soldering could result in a switch adapted guitar, and then you could use a mouth/chin joystick or any set of switches to play. For some of the motion controlled games (specifically Wii ones), a few velcro straps and some hot glue can set up a controller on a hat. For racing games that you steer by tilting the controller side to side, you just strap it across the bill of a hat and tilt your head.

I'm sure you are way better than I am at finding creative ways to make games work, but it never hurts to throw ideas out there in the open.

Elissa Fitzgerald

November 01, 2009

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Rnady is trully an amazing person. And what a great interview. I enjoyed reading it very much! I should know how awesome he is....he is my brother! He has been kicking my butt in video games for as long as I can remember! Actually, I don't think I've ever won....lol.

Michelle Hinn

November 04, 2009

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Great article, Tara, and Randy -- you are too cool!

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