On Wednesday 16th August, access: technology hosted their second In-person Gaming Social. This was situated at their offices at Newby Hall and was attended by two of their Clients and our AT ambassador, as well as the technicians on standby for support. The aim of the event was to meet new people, to challenge the clients who love to game and to promote the success of accessible gaming.
Setup
For the two gamers, they were asked to bring their own personal controllers with Xbox series S’ being provided by access: technology. For one of the clients, an eye gaze was configured and connected to the Xbox. Eye gaze allows for the gamer to use their eyes to control the direction of on-screen avatars and cars etc. Whilst the other attendee used a custom built setup which utilises his feet as the input.
I, on the other hand have a custom built table which allows me a larger surface area when compared to a regular controller. These controllers could be connected via bluetooth, allowing our gamers to use their personal controllers while gaming, allowing for familiarity among the attendees.
Gaming & Competition
We all played both Forza Horizon 5, an open world game that primarily focuses on the user driving cars, and Fifa 23, a football-based game. We had an excellent time competing against each other and members of the team!
My experience was positive as I played Fifa, a game I have played before but not played the 2023 edition, and Forza, a game which I was so bad at I won’t even attempt to explain as I spent one hour getting past the tutorial :).
Conclusion
Overall, the day was an excellent success for the gamers, who loved playing together but it proved that accessible gaming can succeed when done in an environment with support. It is a wonderful opportunity to socialise with other gamers, and to admire their gaming skills alongside their incredible setups.
Not only did the gamers have an excellent time, access: technology absolutely loved getting to see them all and partake in some incredible gaming. I look forward to repeating this and hope that the successes can also be repeated.
