A local organisation, Konke Gamers, is on a mission to introduce accessible gaming to South Africans with disabilities. Founder of Konke Gamers, David Williams, in partnership with QASA, hosted a webinar to introduce the organisation.
As a person with a disability himself, David has a deep passion for gaming, which offered him a sanctuary from the exclusion he experienced in his youth.
“Gaming was the one place where I could run, jump and break barriers that I couldn’t in real life,” he shared. Referencing the documentary, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, David notes how powerful gaming can be to build community and breakdown barriers.
“Social isolation can lead to depression. It can lead to feeling left out; feeling alone; feeling like you don’t belong. In these worlds, you find communities, you find friends. People build relationships in these worlds. You can exist in these worlds and be whatever you want to be,” David noted.
Additionally, it could just be a place for people to escape to when life becomes overwhelming as David shared: “Some of us find it hard to cope in the real world, and gaming is an escape”.
Konke Gamers are dedicated to introducing people with disabilities to the wonders of the virtual world and the adaptive technology that can help you participate, as well as assist with configuring your gaming device to ensure the most accessible game play.
Konke Gamers has also partnered with Able Gamers in Brazil and the United States to secure resources for local gamers. The ultimate goal is to build a community of gamers and host adaptive gaming experiences that allow gamers with disabilities to showcase their skills. Anyone interested in becoming part of the community can reach out to Konke Gamers on konkegamers@gmail.com.
Konke Gamers will be regularly featured in Rolling Inspiration to share the work they do. Keep an eye out for future issues of the magazine to stay updated.
Watch the full webinar here:
