Because people with disabilities are gamers, too.
Liam has just passed level 15 of his favourite video game, Roblox. But, despite defeating all those levels, Liam has never seen characters with disabilities in the video games that he plays. Instead, he notices that most realistic game designs are inaccessible.
“How are you supposed to climb the stairs if you use a walker? How are you supposed to swim?” asks Liam.
Liam was born with arthrogryposis, a condition that makes his joints inflexible and means that he uses a walker. And, according to Liam, it’s not enough to have characters who use walkers or other mobility devices, the video games themselves need to be accessible, too.
“If the character has a disability, sometimes they might need to have a partner, which most video games don’t have,” he adds.
Oftentimes, when he needs one, Liam’s partner is his brother, Jack. And when they’re not playing video games together, the brothers spend a lot of time watching videos on YouTube.
“I want to become a YouTuber,” says Liam. “I’d show a whole bunch of video games on my channel.”
He wants to show viewers that having a disability doesn’t stop him from beating the most complicated level in Roblox or making a great escape in Jailbreak.
“Even if someone has a disability, they can still do what they like to do.”
For Liam, that means robbing banks and swimming through underwater cities—in video games, of course.