in creating deconstructed, custom games
controllers for people with a wide variety
of physical disabilities. Donegan describes
its most recent item of software, Eye Mine,
distributed for free, which integrates with
so-called ‘eye gaze’ systems to provide
eye-tracking control over Minecraft: “In my
experience there are a lot of people who can
move their eyes more easily than any other
part of their body, if they have a very severe
disability. There’s no particular group that
needs to play more than that one.”
Getting involved
GamesAid co-founder Andy Payne fingers
another key aspect of SpecialEffect’s
work: its ability to empower the physically
disabled: “In their normal lives, frankly, they
get patronised by us able-bodied people.
But online, when they’ve got their adaptive
controllers, they are an avatar and nobody
sees them in a wheelchair, and they feel like
normal kids who nobody is judging. Online,
all the preconceptions around disabilities
start to melt away, and for many of them, it’s
completely transformational.”
GamesAid is the UK games industry’s
equivalent to Comic Relief. “GamesAid is a
lesson in democracy,” Payne explains. “A
bunch of us thought it would be a good
idea for the games industry to take some
leadership and responsibility, and raise some
money. Rather than set up a foundation or our
own charity, we realised there are plenty of
charities in the UK. So, we set up GamesAid,
which is a bit like Comic Relief, to raise money
and awareness.”
GamesAid presides over a welter of
fundraising events: “Whether it’s golf, playing
pool, sponsored runs, walks, swims, doing
special packs to retail or digital, whether it’s
taking donations direct from gamers – all that
stuff is very creative, and since we started in
2008, we have paid out £3,670,623.13.”
Payne explains that GamesAid has a rolling
set of voluntary trustees from the industry
who get involved and provide input along
with a constituency of members who, each
year, get to vote on which charities will each
receive an equal share of the money raised.Realising the potential
Games lend themselves beautifully to charity
fundraising, providing a platform for gamers
and YouTubers to perform gaming marathons
and the like. Payne says: “I think gamers
give a s**t: they really care. There’s a lot of
charitable stuff going on. Despite the common
perception that gamers are entitled and
nasty, they’re not.”
The charitable sector has also cottoned
onto that. One example is provided by War
Child, the charity concerned with children who
have been affected by war and conflict. 11-Bit
Studios’ 2014 survival-strategy game This War
Of Mine, inspired by the siege of Sarajevo in
the Bosnian War and which focused on the
effects of war on civilians, was so powerful
and thought-provoking that it inspired War
Child to team up with the games industry. Last
year’s 11-11: Memories Retold, developed by
Aardman and published by Bandai Namco,
was supported by an item of DLC that raised
money exclusively for War Child.
War Child’s head of games, Wayne
Emmanuel, says: “That was a separate
narrative set during the same story timeline
as that of 11-11, but from the perspective
of two children. As War Child, we wanted to
amplify the voices of children who have been“A bunch of us thought it would be a
good idea for the games industry to
take some responsibility”
GAMES
THAT ARE
GOOD FOR
YOU
XBOX CAN DO MORE THAN JUST
RAISE YOUR GAMER SCOREMinecraft
This building and exploring game not only
allows players to give their creativity full
rein, but it also provides a means of
acquiring and honing social skills in an
increasingly online world.Overwatch
Two benefits we can think of for this one.
Hand-eye co-ordination development for
those twitch reactions, and the
encouragement of solid team-play.Rock Band
One of many gateways into learning
music. Muso snobs might scoff, but
wailing on those plastic instruments feels
good, doesn’t it? We know of a couple
musicians who started with Rock Band.Overcooked 2
Co-op games such as this can work
wonders for developing teamwork skills.
With both players reliant on each other to
deliver those food orders, it’s critical to
learn how to communicate effectively.Assassin’s Creed
The use of real historical settings in the
games’ narrative inspires further interest
in history and world events. It totally
inspired Drew’s recent trip to Venice,
although his girlfriend did call him a nerd
when he mentioned that to her.Just Dance
Don’t just sit there, couch potato. Get up
and boogie! Who doesn’t love shaking
their booty and shaping cardboard boxes
to this one. Think about the benefits to
your health and fitness levels!Kerbal Space Program
It’s not rocket science. Oh,
wait, yes – it is! This is the
kind of trial and error
learning we love at OXM. We
can’t tell you the number of
times we’ve crashed and
burned while getting to grips
with its astrophysics.More Xbox news at gamesradar.com/oxm THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE 055