Ep 71: Games
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Email | RSS
Today’s episode is about gaming and in particular disabled people who play games. I get to talk with two cool people about their love of gaming and the communities they are a part of online: André J. Daughtry and Cherry Thompson. André is a lifelong avid gamer and disability advocate who streams on Twitch, a live streaming platform for gamers and other activities. Cherry is a games accessibility specialist/developer with a keen focus on systems design and user experience.
*Content notes: Please note during this episode there will be discussions of suicide, harassment, bullying, and hate.
Transcript
Related Links
Grayson, Nathan. (August 2, 2019). Sigma’s New ‘Asylum’ Skin Raises Concerns About Overwatch’s Handling Of Mental-Illness Tropes. Kotaku.
Moss, Haley. (December 12, 2019). How video games gave me a foundation of acceptance growing up autistic. Mic.
Thompson, Cherry. (April 5, 2019). Sekiro: Accessibility in Games is About Far More than ‘Difficulty.’ IGN.
It's been the honor of a lifetime to be a @thegameawards Global Gaming Citizen
Growing up with a disability comes with a very unique set of challenges
My goal on this earth is to live as an inspiration to those with disabilities that not only can you survive, but you can thrive pic.twitter.com/K9Y4cg3vO0
— Steven Spohn (Spawn) (@stevenspohn) December 7, 2018
About

My name André J. Daughtry, born and raised in Brooklyn NY, I’m a life long avid gamer, disability advocate of sorts and also a disabled game streamer hoping to provide a safe space for all marginalized people, while having fun and possibly educating people along the way.
Twitch: @TrippingCrutch
Twitter: @Tripping_Crutch

Cherry Thompson is a games accessibility specialist/developer with a keen focus on systems design and user experience. They have a background in photography, film production, and art. After 12 years in those fields, disability led them to adapt their skills to a new path. They’ve worked on projects of various sizes from small indies like Gambrinous (Cardpocalypse), GlitchMN (HyperDot) to AAA such as Guerrilla Games (Horizon Zero Dawn), Media Molecule (Dreams), Crystal Dynamics (Marvel’s Avengers), Ubisoft and more.
Cherry is also autistic, so to their complete surprise, they’ve been a successful public speaker at conferences like GDC, Full Indie, a11yTO, PAX, and internal to many studios. This was all thanks to a gentle push from their favourite Games Accessibility Conf to begin speaking at their events. They have a passion for making both games and the industry inclusive of everyone. Their hobbies consist of cake eating, bird watching and adventuring with their one eyed cat, Odin.
Website: https://www.cherryrae.com/
Twitch: @cherryrae
Twitter: @cherryrae
Support Disability Media and Culture
DONATE to the Disability Visibility Project®
Credits
Geraldine Ah-Sue, Audio Producer
Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host
Cheryl Green, Text Transcript
Lateef McLeod, Introduction
Mike Mort, Artwork
Theme Music (used with permission of artist)
Song: “Dance Off”
Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp
Music
“P Flunked Funk” by Podington Bear (P Flunked Funk by Podington Bear is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.)
Sounds
“VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.
“8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.
Categories