• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

CNET: Playing Street Fighter with your face -- and crushing it

T

Tripon

Member
Mike Begum is out to become one of the best Street Fighter players in the world.

And he doesn't even need hands to do it.

Born with arthrogryposis, Begum has limited muscle development, so he plays the game using his face. The 28-year-old from Texas, better known as BrolyLegs, rose to become the top-ranked Chun-Li player online in Ultra Street Fighter IV and obliterates most opponents in his path.

He's one of the 33 million disabled gamers in the US who have found a way to thrive in today's sophisticated competition, according to the AbleGamers foundation. Because, let's face it, video games have come a long way from text-based adventures that had you slowly type in commands on a keyboard. They move faster, require split-second reflexes and run on complicated controllers packed with buttons and joysticks.
Click to expand...

Fortunately, gamers like Begum aren't alone. Organizations around the world like AbleGamers work to help disabled people find new adventures through video games. People with disabilities are also finding workarounds, whether through custom-built hardware or software tricks, to ensure that they can stay competitive with the best players out there.

One in five gamers is disabled, according to a 2008 study, using games to improve their lives at home. For those who can't leave their houses, games are a way to explore and go on adventures without going anywhere. Video games also offer a chance for players to be on an equal playing field, regardless of their disabilities. That's one of the reasons Street Fighter pulled Begum in. People would give confused looks to Begum when they were matched up but then desperately scramble in fights once they started losing.

"Once you're playing, it's like the gloves are off," he said. "I appreciate that more, because that's what I'm there for, the competition."
Click to expand...

https://www.cnet.com/news/street-fi...gamers-xbox-special-effects-software-players/
 
L

Lights and Waves

Member
Stories like these are really so inspiring. I love seeing people persevere – especially when it comes to things (like gaming) that are almost exclusively for able bodied people.

It would be cool if some kind of legislature was passed that forced all games to include button mapping. There are so many games that a lot of disabled gamers are left out of because developers won't allow some flexibility.

I'm sure it's an extra step that they'd have to take in order to allow that customization, but it makes a word of difference for disabled gamers.
 
Paltheos

Paltheos

Member
Oh, cool. Another story on BrolyLegs. He's a fun guy. Always jokes around in the stream chats too.

Probably my favorite moment of his play is when he dash-ultras with his tongue Mike Ross on Excellent Adventures. He does that sort of stuff pretty regularly but Gootecks' excitement over it makes the memory poignant for me.
 
D

DrArchon

Member
Saw the title, knew instantly that it was Brolylegs.

He's as close to a goddamn hero as anyone can be in esports as far as I'm concerned, and a true inspiration.
 
V

Vital Tundra

Member
Fuck I can barely land ultras and I have complete control of my body. Super inspiring and I'm happy the disabled can enjoy games like the rest of us. The more the marrier.
 
O

Obscura

Member
DrArchon said:
Saw the title, knew instantly that it was Brolylegs.

He's as close to a goddamn hero as anyone can be in esports as far as I'm concerned, and a true inspiration.
Click to expand...

.

I'm not great at FG's but I'm as good as I am thanks to this mans spirit and dedication. The gootecks interview made a huge impact on me.
 
S

snowsabre93

Member
So inspirational and in a way, makes you feel bad for using excuses for things, when there are people like Broly who are so resilient and can overcome anything. I read a similar story about a blind SF player the other week as well. Major respect to this guy!
 
M

MrCarter

Member
Yeah there was a blind player at an SFV event in Spain recently and won his first set! It's amazing how someone like him and BrolyLegs have so much passion for a game that they will go above and beyond to play them. One of the reasons why games are such a brilliant medium.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Street Fighter 6 Tops Over 3 Million Units Sold Worldwide
Sales-Age
18
1K
Saber replied
  • Poll
92 Metascore game Street Fighter 6 and Men_In_Boxes doesn’t understand Multiplayer
Cringe 2 3 4
152
7K
yurinka replied
Final Trailer for Street Fighter VI released
Trailer
2
544
Danjin44 replied
Day in the Life of a Japanese Street Fighter 6 Game Planner
Game Dev
1
726
mopspear replied
Sea of Thieves on PS5 reveals Microsoft's Trojan Horse to turn millions of PS5 users into Xbox users
7 8 9 10 11
545
23K
Topher replied
Top Bottom