This is an introduction to a new Sphere News series, in which we’ll explore the challenges faced by disabled players in Minecraft events.
“We believe everyone should be empowered and enabled to play Minecraft,” the Minecraft website reads. “[…] our accessibility tools and features are designed to remove barriers and improve gameplay for all. We’ll continue to work in partnership with our community for new ways to play.”
Minecraft itself has always worked to make its space accessible, adding options such as text-to-speech, closed captions, sprint and sneak toggles, adjustable GUI size, and the ability to reduce the intensity of or disable certain visual effects. However, this attention to detail does not always translate to community-ran events that are hosted within Minecraft. In many cases, players have been unable to play, left at a serious competitive disadvantage, or had to suffer consequences such as migraines or seizures.
My name is Skwishy, and I’m a variety content creator, owner of Skwishy Charity Events, and Social Media Manager for Winterland Events. With my streams I always try to advocate for those with disabilities, and talk through my struggles as a disabled person to help others like me know that they are not alone with their struggles.
I suffer from many chronic illnesses such as POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), FND (Functional Neurological Disorder), fibromyalgia, and other conditions. My day-to-day life is different to most people’s. I have to use a wheelchair due to severe chronic pain and lack of control of my legs. I have an assistance dog to give emotional support during seizures, POTS episodes and pain flare-ups.
As a Minecraft event player, I have noticed that many event organisers do not factor in accessibility when planning and running their events. With these articles I hope to change that, and advocate for those who want their voices to be heard in the event space.
We will be showing events what they can do to help their differently abled players, give players advice for how they could advocate for themselves, and show players how to help their differently abled teammates. We’ll explore topics such as how to make Minecraft accessible to those with sight issues, how too much visual and auditory stimuli can affect Minecraft players, and how to prevent seizures during Minecraft events.
The articles will be available as a collection here, with new content added to the top of the page when released.
About The Author
