Game On - Adaptive Gaming





Do you want to know what is incredibly boring? Sitting in a hospital room for a year and a half, that’s what. The first thing that I got back into to kill time in the hospital was gaming on my iPad. It all started years ago. Before I left for the Army, this little mobile game called Clash of Clans came out. I enjoyed it for the fact that I was broke and on my own so I could game on my phone.

iPad / iPhone (mobile gaming):

My Army buddies gave me hell, and rightfully so. I was too impatient with the app and would actually spend money on it. No F2P here… My Ranger Platoon had a “clan” together. At first it was a cool little way to build some camaraderie and it broke up some of the monotony of the slow days. We would mess around with it during down time but it quickly died off like most apps. But I still play to this day. Supercell created the game and my interests in mobile gaming really caught wind through them. My iPad was a godsend when I was bored in the hospital. It took a lot of messing around with different splints and prosthetics for me to figure out how to use my iPad and iPhone again. There are so many different splinting options but this is what I have found helps me the most. A simple cloth-tip stylus (I recommend using the felt tip instead of the rubber tip because overtime the rubber tip breaks down and smudges the screen of the iPad) and a universal cuff. 


These are the games that I play on my iPad.

Xbox: 

I grew up gaming on the Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One and now the Xbox series X. Most Fridays, my group of friends would get together at my house, and we would hang out in the basement and play Xbox. It was a similar case at all of my friends houses. 

Fast forward to 2017. As I lay there paralyzed, on bed rest, and with no ability to use my hands, I thought  to myself “my gaming days are over”. A tough realization but hey, I could live with that. That was, until Microsoft came out with the adaptive controller. It is essentially two big buttons and a panel that allows buttons, switches and joysticks to replace & modify what a normal controller would have. The possibilities are endless and it offers countless different ways to customize a setup that works for you. Another pro tip is to buy the Xbox Game Pass. Using the Game Pass, you pay a subscription fee but it is much easier to figure out which games work for you and which games do not. That way instead of dropping $60 for a game that isn’t going to be compatible with your set up or your physical abilities you’ve only really wasted a few dollars. 

An incredible and unfortunately difficult tool to obtain is a QuadStick. I’ve considered getting it multiple times but it sells out pretty much as soon as the website adds a restock. If you are able to obtain it, it is extremely useful and helpful for gamers that might not have any hand function. I also want to add a link to a company that designs Bluetooth buttons and switches that can be used with mouth and head gestures. GlassOuse devices  are also compatible with the Xbox adaptive controller, utilizing a 3.5 mm jack input cable. I have some experience using the bite switch and the proximity switch with my set up and both are great additions to have. 

Featuring my wife




Some useful links:

2. https://warfighterengaged.org/shop/

3. https://enablingdevices.com/shop/

4. https://www.marblesoft.online/


Nintendo: 

The Nintendo Switch offers an absurd amount of ways to customize your gameplay. The system itself can be used as a tablet, can be stood up with a built in stand or docked and broadcast on a tv like a regular game system. The controllers can be customized with 3rd party accessories and the system offers Bluetooth connectivity with 3rd party controllers (reference video). The options for interchangeable accessories and connectivity alone make it decently accessible as-is. 




2023 Update

Virtual Reality:

I wanted to go back into this post and add some virtual reality to the mix. A few years ago, my wife got me the Oculus Quest 2. This headset although not very user-friendly for quadriplegics because of the controller set up, still offers some pretty incredible benefits through virtual reality. Using VR to attend events from your wheelchair. Not having to leave the safety of your house to be courtside at a basketball game. The therapeutic benefits to virtual reality can be huge and it would be cool to see it spread into the Occupational Therapy world. I wish that I had this capability while I was on bedrest back in the early days of my injury. Having to be in bed was brutal, but being able to do things like “attend” a concert or sport event, would have been huge! Nonprofits like Easterseals often have programs that can help you obtain adaptive tech like this!


Augmented Reality:

Apple just released their own headset, the Apple Vision Pro. Augmented reality is very similar to virtual reality so I am hopeful that the therapeutic benefits will be just as prominent in this device as it is in the current virtual reality market. The Apple vision at first glance looks incredibly accessible, as seen in this YouTube video. With features like dwell control, you can control all device functions solely with eye movement. With the pointer control feature, you can utilize simple wrist or limb gestures instead of fine finger movements to control and operate the device. They really built this device with accessibility in mind which I wholeheartedly appreciate. The only real barrier is price, where the device itself is a little over $3000. I would recommend utilizing a grant or programs that might be able to help cover some of the cost.

Play Station:

Personally, I do not use a PlayStation, but I know that console gamers are basically divided into two factions; Xbox, and PlayStation. That is why I was so excited to see that Sony is working on an adaptive controller for their consoles. They announced the project earlier this winter, calling it Project Leonardo. It is incredible to witness  brands becoming more accessible and adaptive in real time. I hope to trial these new set ups and potentially get myself a PlayStation one day. 





Thank you for the read and I hope that this helps to get more of the SCI community gaming again! Below, I will add some YouTube and twitch streamers that I recommend checking out.


Gamers with Disabilities

RockyNoHands

MikeTheQuad



Sub Reddit for Games with Disabilities: https://www.reddit.com/r/disabledgamers/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1



God Bless!


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