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so many devs visibly would rather 1000 disabled people be unable to play than have 1 non-disabled person cheese it
it's "funny" how this perfectly mirrors real life where welfare systems fuck over millions of disabled people because one hypothetical person might cheat the system https://twitter.com/halfcoordinated/status/1357005284904996864
it's "funny" how this perfectly mirrors real life where welfare systems fuck over millions of disabled people because one hypothetical person might cheat the system https://twitter.com/halfcoordinated/status/1357005284904996864
if you are focusing on "well... someone might not play the game with the Intended Experience" and not THE PEOPLE WHO LITERALLY CANNOT PLAY YOUR GAME, your priorities are wrong. they're literally just fucked up, and you need to take a good hard look at why THAT'S important to you
if your anathema of someone getting something they didn't "deserve" or "earn" outweighs people getting the help they need, it means you don't value the people who aren't getting help. you see them - their struggle - as a secondary, unimportant goal.
and that's ableism, my dude!
and that's ableism, my dude!
so much of this is due to the values of capitalism that are bred into us. the idea goes as follows:
1. you can earn anything if you try hard enough. you can be a millionaire! you just didn't work hard enough as that other guy!
2. structural differences do not exist, or matter
1. you can earn anything if you try hard enough. you can be a millionaire! you just didn't work hard enough as that other guy!
2. structural differences do not exist, or matter
they need you to believe these things so that when you see someone become a millionaire and say "I did it, you can too" and you're working 3 jobs, you say "wow I guess I didn't work hard/smart enough" instead of "fuck you, you were literally born on a yacht, we are not the same"
success is treated as a scarcity that is only given to the deserving, so that we privilege the people at the top and respect, even worship them. they earned it and we should just work harder
meanwhile people working themselves into the hospital with stress are starving and poor
meanwhile people working themselves into the hospital with stress are starving and poor
one of the worst things america ever did was convince its populace that a "handout" - that is to say, any kind of charity, any amount of leveling the playing field - was an ill-gotten gain, and thus the worst thing you could ever possibly do.
we are taught that bad actors are constantly trying to cheat the system and steal our hard-earned moneys, and most of us are one really bad thing happening away from horrible debt and houselessness, so we snap at the prospect of anyone stealing anything from us like rabid dogs
(meanwhile rich ppl get richer, and ppl trying to manipulate the system are rare, and systems of welfare are incredibly hard to get into. they are also designed to keep you poor with no upward mobility, look into how disability prevents you from having more than $2000 in assets.)
but why does any of this matter?
because these systems of thought are absolutely present in our day-to-day life in more subtle ways. we still think the worst possible thing is someone who gets something without earning it. it's a special sin and we must abhor it.
because these systems of thought are absolutely present in our day-to-day life in more subtle ways. we still think the worst possible thing is someone who gets something without earning it. it's a special sin and we must abhor it.
you can see this very frequently in people who have disability placards on their cars, but have a disability that isn't readily visible.
for example, maybe they have a heart condition that makes it hard to walk long distances without severe fatigue and heart palpitations.
for example, maybe they have a heart condition that makes it hard to walk long distances without severe fatigue and heart palpitations.
so this might present with someone who looks rather young (in their 20s) parking in a disability spot, putting up a placard, and walking (apparently) normally to the grocery store.
people FROTH OVER THIS. disabled persons in this category get yelled at, get left nasty notes...
people FROTH OVER THIS. disabled persons in this category get yelled at, get left nasty notes...
they are subject to immediate suspicion and disdain and treated like shit because of it. like some sort of self-assigned Disability Police.
do you REALLY need that accommodation, and are you sure you're not just trying hard enough, and shouldn't you give it to people who need it
do you REALLY need that accommodation, and are you sure you're not just trying hard enough, and shouldn't you give it to people who need it
you might think someone with a visible disability gets treated better, like a wheelchair user.
not so. they're still treated like shit all the time, like their lives are of secondary importance. and again - welfare fucking sucks! it's difficult to get, hard to be on!
not so. they're still treated like shit all the time, like their lives are of secondary importance. and again - welfare fucking sucks! it's difficult to get, hard to be on!
people have been taught, and REALLY want to believe, that you can do anything if you just try hard enough. it's a capitalism thing but also a self-esteem thing. it helps you cope with inequality by telling yourself they're just not trying. it helps you believe you can do anything
seeing a disabled person forces them to experience a contradiction in their worldview. a person who cannot walk cannot just "try hard enough".
(this is why stories of disabled people doing something difficult are so popular, btw - because they reaffirm the worldview.)
(this is why stories of disabled people doing something difficult are so popular, btw - because they reaffirm the worldview.)
video game culture is emblematic of this worldview. it is present in the terminology itself, from "noob" to "git gud". the idea is that you start off as new, at a level playing field to everyone else in the world, and through dedicated practice, can become the very best player.
not good enough? git gud.
can't get past that level? git gud.
you just need to practice more, and if it's too hard for you, you just didn't try hard enough.
the idea is that video games are a pure meritocracy that anyone can achieve equal success in.
can't get past that level? git gud.
you just need to practice more, and if it's too hard for you, you just didn't try hard enough.
the idea is that video games are a pure meritocracy that anyone can achieve equal success in.
video games also built up their own sort of societal anathema for "cheaters" through the use of things like aimbots, wallhacks, lag tactics, etc to gain "unfair advantages".
i'm not saying those things aren't bad - they are, obviously. it just contributes to the culture.
i'm not saying those things aren't bad - they are, obviously. it just contributes to the culture.
over time, success became a point of pride. "i started from the level playing field, and i gained enough skill through hard work and sacrifice to become the top player above others."
except it's not a level playing field, turns out, lmfao
except it's not a level playing field, turns out, lmfao
even disregarding things such as disability, not everyone had a childhood full of playing video games. someone picking it up in their 20s is not going to magically gain 15 years' worth of practiced reflexes and vg-specific spatial awareness. oops!
gamers do not want to cede that some people are going to genuinely have a harder time - that there are games they either physically can't succeed in, or would effectively be playing several difficulty levels higher.
because it would mean ceding their own Gamer Cred.
because it would mean ceding their own Gamer Cred.
acknowledging that not everyone starts on the same level means that their own victories have less meaning. they didn't "win" an equal fight to become the best. they had the good fortune to start early in a hobby and have peak reflexes/spatial perception unhindered by disability.
it's thinking you started at level 1 along with everyone else and hit level 100 first, and finding out you started at level 30, actually.
not such a brag-worthy accomplishment now. beating dark souls doesn't sound as cool when there are people physically incapable of doing so.
not such a brag-worthy accomplishment now. beating dark souls doesn't sound as cool when there are people physically incapable of doing so.
but the answer is ultimately:
who cares?
why does someone else's difficulty - and therefore their needed accommodation - bother you so much? that you would rather them unable to play than have some FAKE GAMUR beat dark souls on HopN'SkipN'Jump mode without challenging themself
who cares?
why does someone else's difficulty - and therefore their needed accommodation - bother you so much? that you would rather them unable to play than have some FAKE GAMUR beat dark souls on HopN'SkipN'Jump mode without challenging themself
you can take pride in your achievements as a gamer relative to others with the same ability without leaving people out of your community. someone else cheating something doesn't mean your victory is less cool or good. why does it have to be exclusive?
gone are the days where you could only see the ending of the game if you were a twu gamer who really knew all the strats and had the skills.
everyone can see samus in a bikini now, dude. they just have to go to youtube and type in 'metroid ending'.
it's time to let it go.
everyone can see samus in a bikini now, dude. they just have to go to youtube and type in 'metroid ending'.
it's time to let it go.
"cheaters" will literally always exist, abled people who cheese games and use trainers to hop around with infinite lives, whether you let disabled people in or not.
the sooner you accept that your hobby is better with all kinds of people in it, the better it - and you - will be.
the sooner you accept that your hobby is better with all kinds of people in it, the better it - and you - will be.
