Disney And Beyond Friday Feature - Gotta Represent ‘Em All: Disabled Characters in Gaming

I’ve been a gamer for long as I can remember, going all the way back to my first console at the age of five.  Some of you may even remember my article from last where I regained the ability to play the games for myself with the fantastic support provided by the charity, Special Effect.  However, as I was sitting at home playing one of my many games on the PS4, something struck me that I’d never paid much attention to.  What is it?  I shall tell you.

In all my years playing computer games, I've never once played as a disabled character.  That got me to thinking, are there any disabled characters in computer games?  After thirty minutes of deliberation, I came up with two characters; one of those was Professor Xavier, the wheelchair-bound leader of the X-Men and Daredevil, the blind vigilante from Hell's Kitchen, both of which are characters from other medium.  I'm not even sure if Professor Xavier was even a playable character!  Since having those initials thoughts, I've discovered a couple more, the majority of which are non-playable characters, or bit parts.  I certainly haven't discovered any games where the central character has a form of disability.  But are side characters enough?  Would a game featuring a central character with a disability be worthwhile?

To answer those questions, I shall take on the latter first.  It’s clear why certain types of games don’t feature disabled characters; you couldn’t have a person in a wheelchair storming the beaches in Normandy for example.  Historical games require historical accuracy.  Realism is also a big thing in gaming right now, so any situation where it would be unrealistic to have a disabled character gets a pass.  But other genres have no excuse.  Take The Sims for example, a game that at its essence is supposed to simulate life.  Surely it would be more realistic to have disabled characters feature, or at the very least, an option to create one?  But there isn’t and it’s the same with Fantasy and Sci-fi.  Anything is possible in those genres and yet, you never see a character with enhanced mobility aides.  So to answer my first question, no it isn’t enough.

Disability is a very broad spectrum, so I understand that it would be hard to please everyone.  But in the 21^st Century, to ignore us entirely, is just plain wrong.  Billions are invested every year in the gaming industry, so why can’t they invest a little of that in to improving diversity in games.  Not only could it be educational, but it would also do wonders for disability awareness.  So, come on developers, show me what you've got.

Until next time... To infinity and beyond!