Guest editorial by Andrew Monkelban in Wired Magazine. Monkelban is an avid player of video games who says he has “always received strange looks” from other gamers. An excerpt:

I was born with cerebral palsy, a non-progressive condition that affects the part of the brain that handles the limbs and fine motor functions. I’m unable to talk or walk, which confines me to a wheelchair. I only have full use of my right arm, but I can play one-handed. Playing certain games one-handed can be challenging, and there are some games that I cannot play, but I’m always up for a good challenge. It’s part of what makes me, or anyone else, a gamer.

… Sometimes, I’m still a little surprised that the fact of my being a one-handed, physically challenged gamer amazes people. When I go out, such as to an arcade, people look down on me. It’s like me being in a wheelchair automatically makes me a bad gamer. But once they see what I can do, they’re left in awe. In my mind, I’ve never been any different from other gamers.

…   Much like girl gamers before us, challenged gamers are becoming a larger part of the gaming community. So, if I can show others that just because we’re “handicapped” doesn’t mean that we’re to be taken lightly, I’d feel satisfied. This is one reason why my motto on Xbox Live is “Seeing Is Believing”. I may not be the best gamer in the world, but I’m certainly not the worst. Underestimate me, and it’s very likely I’ll kick your butt.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 at 9:55 am and is filed under cerebral palsy, commentary, personal stories, public attitudes, recreation, success stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.