Video Games

Disabled gamers are starting to get some long-overdue recognition.

According to a new survey by casual-game maker PopCap Games, more than one-fifth (20.5 percent) of all casual gamers have some kind of physical, mental or developmental disability. That compares to 15.1 percent of the American population overall.

With the number of worldwide casual gamers estimated at anywhere from 300 million to 400 million, that means there are tens of millions of disabled gamers out there.

What's more, the 2,700-plus disabled gamers surveyed by PopCap said they play more frequently than the average casual gamer. In other words, disabled gamers are a disproportionately large segment of the casual gaming demographic, and these gamers are actually more committed to their hobby than the average Tetris/Bejeweled/Pac-Man fan.

But despite their numbers, you almost never hear about games or peripherals designed with the needs of disabled gamers in mind.

Part of the reason might be because disabled gamers playing cellphone games or simple online Flash titles don't seem to have migrated to the game consoles that hard-core, money-spending players prefer.

According to the PopCap survey, only 26 percent of disabled casual gamers said they also play traditional hard-core games such as Halo, Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto. That percentage is even lower (18 percent) among respondents with physical disabilities.

I imagine one of the biggest hurdles for disabled gamers on consoles, particularly gamers with physical disabilities, is that modern controllers and consoles are more complex than they've ever been. You're looking at about a dozen or so buttons, usually along with two analog control sticks and a single digital pad, on your average Xbox 360 and PS3 controller.

Next time you're playing Grand Theft Auto IV or Call of Duty 4, try playing with just one hand and see how much fun the game is.

But there is a solution!

Amateur tinkerer Ben Heckendorn (benheck.com) has cooked up a one-handed, wireless controller dubbed the Access Controller specifically designed for disabled gamers.

Don't let the "amateur" part fool you, by the way. Ben is an engineering wizard who spends his spare time cracking open game consoles, rewiring and slimming down their electronic guts and then reassembling them in portable form. Plus, he documents all his adventures on his site.

Ben is now selling the Access Controller for $130 on edimensional.com. The controller is currently compatible with the PS2, PS3 and PC, and an Xbox 360-compatible version is coming soon.

Of course, the Nintendo Wii would also seem like a boon to disabled gamers, especially with games such as Wii Sports that only require a couple of buttons and mostly use the motion-sensitive controller.

I haven't seen any data on what percentage of disabled gamers are buying the Wii, but I bet it's substantial. Either way, it's nice to see that gaming is slowly becoming a bit more accessible.

ARCHIVES: Search for more stories on this and other topics | Search Tips

SUBSCRIBE: Get The Dallas Morning News delivered to your home