Disability and Gaming

by Team [IHU] - 6 years ago

Team DKMR: Twitter | Website | Forums

Sponsored by: Hearthstats.net

Disability and Gaming

I thought I’d write a special article this week given the events of last week’s NESL KOTH, on which I faced-off against Amaz. A significant amount of discourse was had in the NESL twitch chat regarding my odd mannerisms and tendency to “smile” or “frown” frequently. Some postulated I had a disability, others were merely vulgar. The truth is that I suffer from a severe neuromuscular disorder known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy (“SMA”). SMA manifests in various degrees of severity which all have in common general muscle wasting and mobility impairment. The most severe variety of SMA is the most common genetic cause of infant death. Due to this muscle weakness, lifting my arm or shifting my weight can cause me to grimace as I exert a more than typical proportion of muscle to achieve these feats.

I am incredibly comfortable with the fact that I have a disability. I live an amazing life with a fantastic career, an extraordinary wife, and exciting hobbies. I’ve worked hard, and with the support of amazing parents and friends, I’ve succeeded. With how wonderful the past few years of my life have been, I often forget the discrimination and ridicule I faced growing up as an individual with a disability and ignore the subtle discrimination that I still encounter.

I’ve been physically bullied. I’ve been called names and verbally abused. I’ve been ignored because it was convenient. I’ve been regarded as asexual by the opposite gender. I’ve been overlooked for activities because my wheelchair would make things too difficult. Those experiences are not pleasant to think back on. Fortunately, I’m at a point in my life where I can afford not to think back on those things. Or am I?

Last week reminded me that not everyone is comfortable when someone is different. Being uncomfortable is ok. In fact, it’s often a healthy response to a new situation. Discomfort is your mind pausing when it encounters something unfamiliar in order to ascertain the appropriate response. The key is how you respond. The correct response encourages social growth and understanding. The more common response is fear, disdain, or ridicule. Especially on the internet, where the masses don the hood of anonymity, casual ridicule is the go-to solution for discomfort.

Last week made me realize that while I can afford not to think back on the adversities I’ve faced; it’s selfish of me not to share my story and my experiences. My experiences aren’t just those of a disabled young adult. They’re the experiences of nearly every person who’s been ostracized or looked down upon because they’re different. Whether you suffer from autism, obesity, or are just a little shy, you’ve probably encountered some form of discrimination or abuse. This is an especially pertinent issue to gamers, stemming from both within and without the gaming community.

Gaming is my primary hobby. I’ve enjoyed video games as far back as the original Nintendo Entertainment System. I remember seeing the cheesy commercials for HeroQuest on TV and unboxing a fresh copy of the game bought from KB Toys with my dad and brothers. I was the perfect age to be caught up in the Pokemon TCG phenomenon. I’ve always been competitive, so CCGs naturally became my bread and butter. Pokemon TCG, Warhammer 40,000 CCG, Warcry, OverPower CCG, Netrunner, Battletech CCG, UFS CCG, Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic: The Gathering, VS TCG. You name it, I’ve played it. Cards from each game still rest in cardboard boxes in my apartment, long-treasured relics forgotten for brighter gems.

I’ve been gaming a long time, and it saddens me to see our community act with such disrespect. As one gamer to another, I’m sure you can relate to the difficulties I’ve faced in my life. Gaming is not always held in the highest regard and is frequently a basis for others to look down upon us. So why do we do this to ourselves? While I’ve been through enough not to be fazed by the insults thrown my way last week, such language would have been emotionally devastating to a me fifteen years younger. And I have no doubt similar words erode the confidence of young gamers day in and day out.

Gaming is a wonderful exploration of humankind’s imagination and ability to apply critical thinking. Games offer worlds full of unfamiliar and discomforting things. Of all people, gamers should not be the ones responding to diversity with ridicule. For gaming to progress as an art and a sport, we must clean up the toxicity so common in many games today.

I have no words of condemnation for anyone who mocked my physical mannerisms. I understand how difficult it can be to respond appropriately when faced with an unfamiliar situation and how easy it is to fall back on crude jests. Your actions did not harm me. However, I beseech anyone reading this to take the time to consider your words before deriding or bullying a fellow human being. Being considerate of your fellow man or woman not only fosters community, but fosters achievement. In turn, achievement begets progress and a better world for each of us to enjoy.

While most of us don’t have a diagnosis we can point to, each of us has some disability we cope with on a daily basis. In the same way my family and friends built me up to succeed despite my disability, we should be building up others to overcome their weaknesses.

I am disabled. I am a gamer. I am proud of what I have accomplished in my life, and I want to make sure I do all I can to enable the accomplishments of others.

[DKMR]Varranis streams every Sunday from 10 AM – 4 PM EST at http://www.twitch.tv/varranis. You can find all of DKMR’s streamers on their website with times and the days they stream!

Written by [DKMR]Varranis

Decks to watch out for

Hunter is everywhere, and it doesn’t look to be leaving anytime soon. We’ve included a fairly standard Hunter Midrange list below influenced by Kolento and Lifecoach’s builds. Note that many players are running a single Dire Wolf Alpha and some are not running Leeroy Jenkins. we’ve also included DKMR’s iteration of Druid Ramp, which was highlighted in last week’s Deck of the Week article. It packs enough taunts to survive the Hunter onslaught while sporting one of the most powerful game plans Hearthstone offers. While it isn’t a big favorite against Hunter Midrange, Warrior Control has retained some popularity due to its reasonable Hunter match-up and overall consistency. We’ve included a solid build I’ve been using recently. Lastly, we’ve included a Mage deck which has a good Hunter match-up. The taunts and Hero Power allow you to keep the Hunter deck in check while not needing to commit too much to the board.