The Disabled and the Wii: An Open Letter to Nintendo

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Kotaku reader and avid gamer Samuel Kahn contacted me last week to find out who he should contact at Nintendo about a problem he was having with the Wii.

The problem is he has Muscular Dystrophy and because of it has a limited range of motion. Unfortunately, this means he's been having some major problems with some Wii games.

He still loves the system, but he wants to make sure developers and Nintendo keep in mind not everyone can swing their arms around like a spider monkey on meth when they game and to perhaps include some sensitivity options in game settings.

Hit the jump for his full, open letter to Nintendo.

Open letter to Nintendo:

To whom it may concern,

The first thing I should mention is that I'm an avid gamer and a huge Nintendo fan. I've owned nearly every Nintendo console, so as you could probably imagine, I eagerly anticipated the release of the Wii, both as the next Nintendo console and for what it signifies in terms of a revolution in the way we play and perceive games.

As the console neared its release, I began having certain fears about it.
I'm disabled; I have Muscular Dystrophy, a genetic neuromuscular disease that makes me weak and limits the range of motion of my joints, which becomes increasingly limited slowly over time. I began fearing that the Wiimote was something I may not be able to use effectively due to my limited range of motion. I hadn't seen anything published regarding the adjustment of control sensitivity for the Wii and its games.

After buying a Wii on launch day, I discovered my fears were partially justified. I can't really play some of the games in Wii Sports, because of the broad physical movement required. Bowling is the most glaring example of this. I can however play games with more subtle movement controls such as Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. This leads me to believe that more options related to the adjustment of movement control sensitivity could have been included in games like Wii Sports, as would fit the precision that the Wiimote seems capable of providing.

Games are something I'm very passionate about; they are an arena in which I can compete on even ground with others despite my disability. It's very frustrating to have home video games, which have always been open and very liberating for me, become limiting. So, my goal in writing this letter is to voice my concerns to Nintendo and other developers, so they could address my concerns and perhaps take them into consideration when developing games for the Wii. I'm certain that I'm not the only disabled gamer with these issues.

Sincerely,
Samuel Kahn

you have to feel for the guy

Sorry for that guy...


BUT you can play all the games with small movements. It's just in games like Wii Sports or Wario Ware that the larger movements are funner (more fun?) but it still not required per se. I can play Wii sports tennis by barely moving laying on the couch but it's not as fun.

Sponge killer is right on. You can play Wii sports just fine with barely moving your wrists around, it just isn't as fun to.

you know what, it sucks to be him, but why would nintendo ever consider building a "wii-el chair ramp" for the wii if only 0.01% of the gaming population is mechanically disabled? they can just buy a ps3 already. and yes, that percentage was bull. and yes, im a heartless *******

nintendo must add for the next consule a motion sensor sensitivity level or related thingy

Not heartless Jstush this person is disabled yes doesnt mean you cant speak your mind. Personally i think the guy is wanting alot and needs to rephrase his letter. Im sure there is a very small percentage of people out there with a disabilty that wants to play the wii. Its up to them to think things through before purchasing the console. If they have trouble with movement then perhaps they should stick with the Gamecube or 360, PS3. Granted it would be good if Nintendo and game developers had created a choice to use either the Wii-mote or the pad but isnt that defeating the core sales point of the console?

This person should perhaps adjust his sensitivity on his console or look elsewhere for his gaming desires.

(For the whiners; Once again because someone is a minority doesnt mean people should have to tip toe around them doing so makes them even more a minority.)

I think also the point should be brought up that the Wii console is going to bring alot of joy to challenged people both physical and mental who cannot use or understand a joypad, now the simplicity of table tennis and tennis and fishing etc.. will be available to them. I am hoping somebody brings out an artists type program where the Wiimote acts like a paintbrush.

this reminds be of my friend that is colour blind, and there for could not play the bonus stages in sonic 3, (collect the blue balls, avoid the red balls)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Darksaviour69

this reminds be of my friend that is colour blind, and there for could not play the bonus stages in sonic 3, (collect the blue balls, avoid the red balls)

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^_^_^ And did your friend send an open-letter to SEGA telling them to change the way they developed the games?

Just had to ask. ^_-

err no.

it also reminds me of Warp. They are know in the west for making D, D2 and Enemy Zero. But in japan they made "Real Sound" and "Real Sound: Kaze no Regret", games for blind people.

Surely a simply request like changing the sensitivity on games or the console should be heard and accepted by Nintendo. After all, we've seen sensitivity on the PC and other Console titles for years (i.e. FPS), what makes the Wii so different?

I think it's a cool letter, but as somebody mentioned - are Nintendo really going to alter all of their future games for a minority of people who don't represent the mass consumer?

I think implementing options in games would be a good idea though. But as somebody rightly mentioned; you don't have to go crazy with the Wii-remote. People go over the top with the movements, because it's more fun that way - not because it's necessary.

I think it's safe to say Samuel won't be buying Wario ware: smooth moves...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jstush04

you know what, it sucks to be him, but why would nintendo ever consider building a "wii-el chair ramp" for the wii if only 0.01% of the gaming population is mechanically disabled? they can just buy a ps3 already. and yes, that percentage was bull. and yes, im a heartless *******

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Why not make it adjustable, thats what they do with computer games (mouse settings). They could also consider the option of a regular controller.

People with disabilities play video games because of the other things they cannot do.

Yes they can get a PS3 but what happens with the next generation of consoles? What if the Wii catches on?

And yes I also have muscular dystrophy. Its not like it was my choice and at least I didn't just give up and never try to do anything. It was something I was born with although it was unnoticeable at the time. I've given everything at least a try. I still do things such as playing sports it's just slightly different.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by I heart Nintendo

I think it's a cool letter, but as somebody mentioned - are Nintendo really going to alter all of their future games for a minority of people who don't represent the mass consumer?

I think implementing options in games would be a good idea though. But as somebody rightly mentioned; you don't have to go crazy with the Wii-remote. People go over the top with the movements, because it's more fun that way - not because it's necessary.

I think it's safe to say Samuel won't be buying Wario ware: smooth moves...

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If they don't I guess I'll be dissecting a Wii remote

Actually I just looked up the PS3 and they've done the same thing

Please don't triple or double post. Use the edit button.