Powered to Game was a huge success! 9 gamers joined us at Electronic Arts (EA) (new window) for one of the first gaming tournaments of its kind in North America, one in which all of the participants were gamers with disabilities who used assistive technology to play.

The tournament was focused on two games: NHL 20 and FIFA 20. Need for Speed: Heat, Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order were also on hand for the gamers to demo.

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One of the gamers in attendance was Teri Thorson, who acquired a spinal cord injury at the age of 24. “I’m here today because my son is really into gaming. I really want to be able to play with him and understand what he’s doing online, so what better way than to learn about it myself,” says Teri. “I don’t have any hand function which makes using a regular controller and pushing buttons very difficult for me. I haven’t been able to play games myself since. Today I’m using the Xbox Adaptive Controller along with a couple of buttons that were designed by Neil Squire, as well as a joystick that Neil Squire provided.”

Lifelong gamer, Alex Carey, has spinal muscular atrophy type 2. “We’re here to showcase accessible technologies and show that people with disabilities are able to play and have fun just like the rest of the able bodied community and are able to participate in something that’s such a regular pastime for people,” said Alex. “I use button remapping on a standard controller in order to play games.”

Thank you Electronic Arts (EA) (new window), Microsoft (new window), and RBC (new window) for making this event a success! Photos by Rob Trendiak Photography (new window).

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