We talk to the One Handed Terror, Disabled? Whatever!

I had first heard his name mentioned from my friend who plays Chun-Li in Street Fighter 4 and watches his videos. Jennings was mentioned again when I went to Season's Beatings IV and players knew of him. What was interesting was the fact that some knew there was a good player who went by the name "One Handed Terror" but did not actually know he was handed.  His skills with Chun-Li were, in some cases, more known than the fact he had one hand. I even found myself reference him in my Tekken 6 review. He was just popping up everywhere.

I had considered getting a hold of him, but after seeing a one handed gamer post in the AbleGamer forums looking for other one handed gamers and looking for other gamers who competed competitively I knew I had to. Sebastian is a one handed gamer who competes. It was a perfect match! So, here you are. AbleGamers, meet Sebastian Jennings.

Tara: Hey Sebastian. Thanks for sitting down and doing an interview with AbleGamers.

Sebastian: No problem. I was looking forward to it.

Tara: Alright, let's just start by telling everyone a little about yourself.

Sebastian: Alright. Hello, my name is Sebastian Jennings. I am 30 years old and I currently reside in Santa Monica, CA. I was born in Tucson, AZ and grew up there until my college years. Growing up, video games were a big part of my life and I knew that I wanted to work in the video game industry. The best way I knew how to do that without a college degree was to move to LA, become a Game Tester and work my way through the ranks. I dropped out of college and did exactly that. I grinded through game testing with TDK, 2K Games and THQ, wrote several strategy guides for Tips & Tricks magazine (before they went under) and eventually ended up at as a Product Manager at PDP (A.K.A. Pelican) where I create, design and manage production of video game peripherals (controllers, cables, guitars, dance mats, etc.) from the concept design stage to the retail floor of your Best Buy, Wal-Mart or GameStop.

Tara: Hey, that is funny. I had dropped out of college and tested for THQ. We already have something in common! But enough about that. Now, I first heard about you from some friends of mine who are into competitive Street Fighter. They had mentioned that awesome, one-handed Chun player, who I now know is you. So, can you tell me a little bit about your hand?

Sebastian: Of course.  Basically, my left hand is underdeveloped. I have a normal arm to my wrist and a partial palm with no fingers. My best visualization description is to think of it like a human cat's paw. I was born this way so I've never had the feeling of two hands which is kind of a blessing. I would much rather be born this way then to have two hands and lose one of them. I think that would be too devastating for me to adjust to. Now there are two theories as to why I have an underdeveloped hand: 1) (My Mother's belief) Doctors say that the umbilical cord got tangled around my arm and prevented blood flow through my arm to develop my hand while in the womb. 2) (My Father's belief) My father has radioactive sperm through government performed scientific medical experimentation while he was a child, and that directly caused a mutation in my DNA and my resulting condition when I was conceived. This is my Father's belief, I kid you not. You be the judge.

Tara: Wow. That's.... probably the most interesting answer I'm ever going to get when asking someone about a disability. I'm tempted to just stop the interview now because there is a good chance the rest of your answers won't be that amazing. But I guess there is an off chance that they might be, so let's continue. When did you start gaming?

Sebastian: My earliest memories of gaming were around when I was about four years old. I vividly remember my mother dragging me to the laundry mat every Sunday and they had two games there, Ms. Pac Man and Kangaroo. I played them and fell in love, and I was immediately hooked. My mother would give me four quarters to last for the whole laundry session and I would try my hardest to make them last. But while playing Kangaroo, I found a way to hit the coin cabinet and get free credits. So my addiction that was severely limited by a four year olds allowance, just became a free one. I used to lie to my mom and say that I was going to a friend's house, and then I would sneak off to the laundry mat and play free Kangaroo. God, I did such stupid stuff just to play video games. I even used to save my school lunch money and starve myself just so I could use that money to play at the arcade after school. It was a sickness.

Tara: That's too funny. Most parents have to worry about their kid sneaking off to get themselves into trouble, and you were just playing games. I approve. Was it hard as a kid to go off and play games one handed? Was it something that was difficult to learn or did it come naturally?

Sebastian: Well, it wasn't really hard to learn because playing with one hand is all I know. I could see it being difficult if I had two hands and lost one but since I've never had that hand to lose, I never had to adjust to anything different. The only real adjustment I had to make was that when I was playing the old school arcade games growing up. I used to play them cross-handed because the old arcade games only had 1-3 buttons that you had to use, and very rarely would you have to use them simultaneously. But when Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter 2 came out with 5-6 buttons that required accurate timing and simultaneous button use; I had to learn how to play normally. I used to constantly slip off the joystick with my underdeveloped hand for years until I finally learned how to finesse the stick with my wrist. To me though, it seems like you can ask that of somebody who has two hands. Was it hard for you learning to play with two hands? You just got to play with the cards you are dealt with, you know?

Tara: So you really grew up learning to play in arcades with joysticks. Does that mean that the arcade stick controller for consoles has made it easier for you to play at home?

Sebastian: Arcade sticks are a must for top level competitive fighting games. But arcade sticks, I believe make fighting games easier as a whole and not just for one-handed players like myself. Sticks offer you much more control and better ergonomics for you to perform complex, precise button presses that fighting games require. Much like a steering wheel offers better, more precise control for driving games, or flight sticks for flying games. The same concept applies.

Tara: Yeah, I can completely understand that. I have been to a few tournaments and nearly everyone has an arcade stick. I mean, I even have one... two actually. On the other end of things, how do normal normal controllers fair with you?

Sebastian: I can play games with standard controllers. I'm only at about 85% with a standard controller though because I have no access to the Left Bumper button and I have to use my leg awkwardly to press the Left Trigger. When I first start a game, I always check the options screen for controller button layouts and try to determine the most useless functions in the game to map it to those two buttons. That is why I dislike the games nowadays that do not allow you to button map, or have very poor button mapping templates to choose from like CoDMW2, Halo 3. I just don't understand why games don't allow full button mapping customization...I know that it is very easy to implement and there is no reason not to do it. It's frustrating.

Tara: Yeah, I understand. Now, I know that you have a couple arcade sticks that you play with. Do you have any recommendations for other people looking to order one?

Sebastian: I was using an Arcade in a Box stick -www.arcadeinabox.com- for my home play but that controller was very heavy to lug around to tournaments. I love that stick but I needed a lighter stick for tourney play, so I broke down and got a MadCatz TE Stick but I've been having problems with that where sometimes buttons will just stop working mid-play and I have to unplug and replug it back in just to get it working again. I'm going to have to give my nod to Arcade in a Box for this one. I've had that controller for two years running with no problems whatsoever.

Tara: I've seen some other people have issues with the Tournament Edition sticks as well. They're awesome when they work, but I've seen other people's buttons go out too. My boyfriend's has a problem with the heavy kick. I wondering if it's something to do with the quick disconnect they have for the buttons. Now, you mentioned going to tournaments. What games do you usually compete in?

Sebastian: Street Fighter is the only game I'm actually competitive at on an elite level. You know, I have this self-destructive, spiraling pattern where I tell myself I'm retiring and I play casually from then on. While playing casually, I learn a lot of great things that could've helped me in my last tourney and I feel much stronger and wiser. I see a tourney coming around and I tell myself that I should compete because I'm so much better than last time and I can run deep in the tournament. I enter, and either do poorly or horribly average and I say to myself, I'm retiring. The cycle continues on. "The eye of the tiger. It burns within us, Rock."

Tara: I can understand that. I see it happen all the time.  So what are your favorite games? Is Street Fighter one of them?

Sebastian: I have two types of game styles that I am into: The first is anything that has the most competition surrounding it. Street Fighter has been big for quite some time now, and I definitely have the most experience with that series. It is always a good time for me when a new SF game comes out. I used to be hardcore into The Tekken series but I kind of lost interest after Tekken Tag Tournament. At present though, it seems that CoD MW:2 has the bulk of the competition, so I've been trying to sharpen up my FPS skills again (calling back up to the Counter Strike Gods to release my skills into CoD form). The other is old school arcade games and pinball for when I just want to play solo and not stress about competition or constantly trying to remain on top of the curve. Games like: Star Wars (vector style), 720, Shinobi, Q-Bert, Tron, etc., and pinballs like: Medieval Madness, Addams Family, Elvira, Whirlwind...I could go on. I could play pinball forever! I always attend the yearly California Extreme (CAX) show where you pay $60 bucks and you can play all of these old school arcade games and pinballs on free play for the whole weekend. So in short, fighting, FPS, old school arcade and pinball.

Tara: I was the same about Tekken. I'm trying to get back into it now that they've released 6. I actually dropped your name in my review of it now that I think about it. So, you really do have a variety of games that you like to play. What games are you looking forward to?

Sebastian: You already know the answer to that. Super Street Fighter 4. If they can just confirm Makoto for SF4, I might just have a second character to play with. I was also really looking forward to CoD 4: MW2 but that was just released

Tara: Yeah, I already knew, but I still wanted to ask. You know, I wasn't ever a huge Makoto fan... and as we discussed before the interview, I'm totally routing for Ibuki. There's such a good chance that she is going to be in it . I'm keeping my fingers crossed. So, are there certain games that are easier for you?

Sebastian: I would say that fighting games are the easiest for me to play. Throughout the years of my fighting game experience, I felt like I've developed a sixth sense on how to break down fighting game engines and exploit them for my benefit. Plus, I never feel hindered with fighting game controls and always feel I can play to my maximum potential. FPSs on the other hand, that is another story.

Tara: FPSs don't quite work out for you? What other games can be hard to play?

Sebastian: I think the toughest times I've had playing a game to my maximum potential are PC RTSs. I had a bitch of a time trying to play Starcraft on a competitive level because you need two sets of fingers for multiple hotkeys presses and whatnot. I would just be too slow and eventually get taken over. I couldn't compete in the way that I wanted to, so I gave that one up as I saw no way to get faster without some crazy custom equipment. Currently, I'm playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and it has been an un-fun learning experience. Reason being is that you need to press and hold the Left Trigger in order to aim and then press Right Trigger to fire. So, with me, when I see someone, I have to jam the controller down on my leg to press and hold the Left Trigger to aim, and try to do it so that the jolt from jamming it down does not mess up my aiming, and then fire. Sometimes the Left Trigger doesn't remain held down. Sometimes the jamming down on my leg screws up my aiming and I miss or take too long to readjust. Either way, it's been a trying experience, and I have the bruises on my thigh to prove it.

Tara: Ouch. So is it like that for FPSs on all systems are do certain systems work better for you? Actually, which ones work best for you in general?

Sebastian: The 360 and the PS3 are very similar to me as far as ease of controller use. I have the same problems with both, and that is no access to the Left Bumper/L1 Button, and having to jam the controller down on my leg to use the Left Trigger/L2 Button. I do think that the 360's Left Trigger is easier to keep held down on my leg than the PS3's L1 Button. The Wii is by far the hardest for me to use. I cannot play a game if the game involves a Nunchuk. Nintendo has tried many times to get me and my one handed brethren to not play their systems. They made a great attempt with the N64 but I figured a way around it. The GameCube was not their best effort, as I conquered that controller easily but the Wii with the Nunchuk...*clap clap*...well done! You win, Nintendo. I cannot play that system. Kudos to you.

Tara: Yeah, the Wii is notorious for not being accessible. The system really needs a lot of work if it's going to usable for everyone. Ok, now here is probably the most important question in this interview. Where did your nickname "One Handed Terror" come from?

Sebastian: I really hate this story but I will tell it. My friend Geoff gave me this nickname. He was working at Tips & Tricks magazine at the time and they were doing a segment called "Arcade Player of the Month" and they wanted me to be the player of that month because of my one hand. I think I was followed by a pro girl gamer and a very young tournament gamer, and this was in the late '90s when tournament gaming was still kind of underground. So he wrote the article and asked me questions (much like this), and said that he needed a nickname to call me because I didn't have one at the time, as I was still an unknown just breaking into the tournament scene. I said, "Call me Goofyhand." because I used to skate and "Goofyfoot" is a skating term. I thought it was cool and clever. He said, "No, how about One Handed Terror of Tucson?" because he just saw some western and the antagonist was named the "Terror of Tucson". I said, "God no! That name is horrible." We debated and I thought we squared it away and settled on Goofyhand. Low and behold, the issue comes out and he pulled the switcheroo on me. One Handed Terror of Tucson was plastered all over the article. We laughed and I didn't think much of it. Much later, I enter the Street Fighter Midwest Nationals and I had all these people coming up to me and calling me One Handed Terror, and I was like, crap, that name is set in stone now. Nothing I can do about it. I still really dislike the name to this day but hey, what can you do?

Tara: Oh my goodness! I feel so bad now for calling you One Handed Terror, I had no idea you hated the name! Well, on the good side, people like it, and it's easy remember. You know there are some people who don't realize that you are the one-handed terror because you only have one hand. I've ran into a few people who weren't sure why you had that name and thought maybe you opted to play with one hand because you were just awesome. What do you think about that?

Sebastian: I never thought that people would interpret my name as a means of being more skilled that I only needed one hand to play and not just take it literally. I get comments on YouTube all the time stating, "Wow, I didn't know that you REALLY only had one hand.". I guess just some people find that fact unbelievable. Of course, I get the jackasses on Xbox Live saying, "I wonder what he is doing with his other hand? har har har." Ugh. It has its ups and downs.

Tara: I'm glad that you brought up your YouTube channel. What made you decided to start making videos?

Sebastian: Well, I knew that a lot of people were starving for information on SF4 because this release brought in a whole new demographic of players that were green to the genre. I had all this stored information on Street Fighter 4 and Chun-Li (since she is the only character I play) from trying to compete on the highest tournament level but I just couldn't make it happen. I would either do poorly, or I would have a bad tournament pool that I couldn't qualify from. I had all this information in my brain that I wasn't using from poor tourney outcomes and constant retirements and felt this useful information was being wasted away. I needed a creative outlet and hobby to pass the time, so I started creating these instructional videos and taping live sessions of me playing on XBL, commentating strategies on the fly just to get all of this stuff out of me. I then tried to edit and organize these videos in a fun format that people could easily follow, and that is how my YouTube channel was born http://www.youtube.com/user/OneHandedTerror . I kind of felt like an old Kung-fu master secluded in the woods, and I needed to unleash all my knowledge out on the young, attentive student who could put the information to good use. Making these types of videos is very therapeutic for me.

Tara: Did you know you have 1000 subscribers?

Sebastian: Yes, I did. Isn't that amazing? I didn't think it would get that big and I think that it is wonderful. I am very appreciative of the subscribers, and I always try to visit the page daily to answer questions that people may have about Street Fighter.

Tara: I can vouch for that. I originally got a hold of you of this interview through Youtube! Now, a lot of your most popular videos are Street Fighter 4 tutorials for Chun -Li. I know this may seem technical for those who don't play fighting games, but what made you decide to main with Chun?

Sebastian: When trying to find a character, I look for two things to fit my playing style: 1) The character needs to have a lot of options, guessing games, be complex. I cannot stand boring, straight forward, one dimensional characters (Balrog, Bison, Sagat) because I get bored too easily and lose interest. Chun Li has so many things that she can do with her jumping game, double fierce, stomps, LL combos, anti-air game, dashing/speed game, FA game. She is just a lot of fun to play. 2) The character needs to be reactionary and have long pokes. Throughout the years of SF play, I've developed a zoning game that requires the character to have pokes that are longer than your average pokes (average being Ryu). In ST it was T Hawk, Alpha 2 was Rolento, Alpha 3 was Sodom. They all have great poking moves that cover more distance than average. Chun Li's standing fierce, standing strong, standing roundhouse, crouching strong, crouching roundhouse are all pokes that I look for and enjoy using to out zone my opponent. For the reactionary thing, this was developed in Alpha 3 with Sodom. Whenever I saw a fireball or a slow poke, I would activate custom and blow through it with a fierce scrape and continue on to a 60% combo. Chun Li has the same type of deal with her Ultra. She just has everything I look for in a character:  Speed, long pokes, reactionary offense. I love it!

Tara: You forgot to mention a kick ass alternate costume, but I'll let that one slide.  Sadly, it looks like it's about time to wrap this up. So, one more question before we go. If you could talk to game developers about making games accessible, and making things easier for the one handed gaming community, what would you say?

Sebastian: Ah, that is simple enough. Just allow custom button mapping for games and not restrict the players to just three simple templates that just swap a button or two. This would be extremely easy to implement and solve all of my problems.

Tara: That seems to solve most problems out there. Thanks again for sitting down with us. It was great.

Sebastian: No problem.

Tara: Oh, I forgot! One more thing. The sleeve you have looks awesome. My friend Chris (Parabellum in the fighting game world) and I were wondering where you got it done at.

Sebastian: The guys name is Dennis and he now works at High Voltage Tattoo in Hollywood.

Tara: Cool. It looks awesome. Thanks again for for the interview.

If you'd like to learn more about Sebastian or watch any of his very useful videos, just go checkout his YouTube channel. There you can see his play in action as well as see his stick from Arcade in a Box that he uses. I had a lot of fun talking with him, and I hope you had fun reading the interview.

Comments (4)

Steph

December 02, 2009

Votes: +3

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This guy is really awesome. I have a very similar disability as him, and I know how he feels about the FPS dilemma! I was actually able to use the Wii, though it took some finagling. I remember actually tying the nunchuck to my nubb so I could play Rayman, hahah.

PhoenixFaction

December 02, 2009

Votes: +1

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Awesome. I love OHT

Stefan

December 10, 2009

Votes: +0

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He's a very humble guy with an awesome Chun-Li, you should all check out his videos if you like Street Fighter 4.

Michael

December 15, 2009

Votes: +0

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Neat, all about being in the right place at the right time. Mad skills help also.

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