Overcoming Challenges To Game

1up has another feature up worth investigating, this one detailing the challenges faced by gamers with disabilities who just want to enjoy their hobby. The article discusses gals and guys who may be physically different than the average gamer, but who seek that Mortal Kombat fatality or enjoy the story of Half-Life 2 just as much as anyone else. They also touch on the unique peripherals available to players who may not be able to utilize standard controllers, and the palliative effect that games can have on folks in stressful circumstances (as we've seen via Child's Play in the past). It's just another instance where the usual gaming labels break down in the face of reality: "In the media's rush to blame school shootings on violent videogames, sometimes stories about gaming's role in communication and positive tenacity get left behind. While some parents worry about their children submerging themselves in the fantasy worlds of videogames and losing themselves to the real world, that same 'escape' often proves soothing to gamers who, for various reasons, are cut off to the world around them."

My handicap

[Hoi Polloi]

I suffer from "Pwneditis" where I get surprised in a FPS and stare at the other guy like a deer in the headlights for a split second before I get shot. I think they should put a delay on the other players for folks like me.

Seriously though, there is a wide range of handicaps and I've played plenty of people, for example, who have turned out to be in wheelchairs. Online gaming is a real escape for them. Some people I've talked to on teamspeak use speech assistance tech just to chat even if they aren't playing.

I've also played people who've turned out to be stoned or drunk but that is just a temporary handicap.