SpecialEffect Interviews: Izzy
Introduction: My name is Ismail but everybody calls me Izzy. I am currently 29 years old and I was born with a physical disability called Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which severely weakens the muscles in my body as time progresses. I was born and live in Victoria, Australia and I'm of Turkish descent.
GamerTag: (Steam) resistance1982
1. Earliest gaming memories.
My most favourite early memory is when I played Super Mario Bros for the first time at a family friends house. It was a moment I will cherish forever. I also played games on my Apple IIe which my special school had bought for me so I could do my school work. I spent a lot of time playing games at my cousins house on his IBM PC as well.
2. Favourite games.
There are so many great games which I've played throughout my life. The one that always comes to mind first is Super Mario Bros on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The graphics were so colourful and the gameplay so fun. No other game has made me feel so compelled to beating it.
Another game on the NES which I really enjoyed was Double Dragon 2. I would spend hours playing with my friends, trying to beat the final boss.
On the Super NES, I really enjoyed playing Super Mario Kart, Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat. All of these games are fun to play with friends. They have high replay value and are still fun to play to this day. I still remember the secret player vs player code for Street Fighter 2. :)
The series of games created by ID Software, namely the Wolfenstein, Doom and Quake series, were all revolutionary games and were way ahead of their time. I used to play these games on my cousins IBM PC as a child.
Lastly I have to give a mention to the people at Valve for creating the Half-Life series for the PC. I have played every game in the series from start to finish and I enjoyed every minute of it. The right mix of action and puzzle sequences make this series a must have for any gamer.
3. First gaming barriers faced.
The Double Dragon series for the NES made you press both the A and B buttons at the same time to make your character jump. This was very tiring for me to do as I have very limited movement in my hands.
The Super NES controller had L and R triggers at the top which were impossible for me to reach and press. Also fighting games like Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat required players to press certain button combinations to do special moves. This was really difficult for someone like me to do, not because of timing or lack of skill, but simply because of my disability.
The ultimate barrier came before me when the Nintendo 64 was released. I had pre-ordered my console months in advance only to find that the controller was impossible for me to use. I struggled to use the controller for 2 whole weeks but it was just too difficult. The controller itself was really thick and cumbersome, the joystick was too stiff and hard to hold and the buttons were in very awkward positions. I was heartbroken. In the end, I had to sell the console that I had been waiting so long for.
4. Accessible Gaming Rig. How do you play your favourite games now?
After selling my Nintendo 64 back in the 90s, I moved onto PC as my primary gaming platform. My gaming setup includes a custom built mini joystick attached to a microphone stand, 2 micro switches and 2 touch switches. I also use a voice recognition program called Game Commander 3, and X-Keys switchbox and a custom Autohotkey script.
I use the mini joystick with my lips to move the mouse cursor around while using a micro switch in each hand for left and right clicking. I have 2 touch switches positioned near my face, 1 on each cheek, which I use for middle click and an extra button.
Game Commander 3 allows me to activate keyboard commands with my voice. It's used for playing all of my games and is an essential gaming tool. My X-Keys switchbox allows me to program my switches to perform various commands depending on which program I have running. The Autohotkey script is used to program the mouse axis to perform different commands. This is essential for racing games and platformers.
5. Have a vent off!
I have been facing the issue of accessibility for as long as I can remember. Not only do we have problems using the hardware required to play our games, but the games themselves don't have enough options to cater for the disabled. Not even the operating systems used to run our computers have enough options for most disabled people. We are forced to pay ridiculous amounts of money for accessibility software and hardware that is either not compatible with various games and programs, or has such limited functionality that it's not worth using in the first place.
6. What's your best game related achievement?
Beating the entire Half-Life series from start to finish.
7. Favourite film?
The original Star Wars Trilogy.
8. Favourite TV programme?
Two and a Half Men and Seinfeld.
And in closing, please visit Izzy's superb brand new web-site, the Enabled Gaming Blog to find out more and see a video of his current game set-up.
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