Gamers with disabilities: From arcades to esports

+ 5 back-to-school tips US Edition - Today's top story: How people with disabilities got game − the surprisingly long history of access to arcade and video sports [View in browser]( US Edition | 10 August 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Assistive technologies are making video games more and more accessible to players with disabilities. There’s even a professional esports player with quadriplegia who controls his computer with his mouth. But the history of people with disabilities playing arcade games – some even using mouth controllers – goes back decades. University of North Dakota esports researcher Matt Knutson uncovers the story of [disabled players competing in pinball and arcade tournaments](, complete with media coverage and appearances by sports celebrities in the early 1980s. This week we also liked articles about [public transit’s decline in the U.S.](, steps states are taking to [encourage voting](, and a [college class about cats](. [ [Get perspectives from around the world with our weekly global newsletter](. ] Eric Smalley Science + Technology Editor Many of today’s disabled esports players, like Rocky “RockyNoHands” Stoutenburgh, use mouth controllers, which were first used in gaming over 40 years ago. Rocky "RockyNoHands" Stoutenburgh [How people with disabilities got game − the surprisingly long history of access to arcade and video sports]( Matt Knutson, University of North Dakota A pioneering effort that allowed a teenager with a neck injury to play pinball sheds light on today’s vibrant community of esports players with disabilities. Groundbreaking advances in the right to vote have been made over the past two years in the U.S. LPETTET/Getty Images [Grassroots efforts to increase voting are gaining momentum in these states, even as other states make voting harder]( Tova Wang, Harvard Kennedy School Americans have been hearing for years that democracy is being eroded and is literally at stake in the upcoming presidential election. But there is good news on the voting front as well. Workers on a trolley at 5 p.m. in Baltimore, April 1943. Marjory Collins/Library of Congress [A packed Baltimore trolley illustrates the ups and downs of US public transit]( Nicholas Dagen Bloom, Hunter College When US cities offered low-cost, high-quality public transit during World War II, buses and trains were full. 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A grocery list could be the next best thing]( - [Infectious diseases spike when kids return to school − here’s what you can do about it]( - [White men who have been mistreated at work are more likely to notice and report harassment − new research]( - [Ancient grains of dust from space can be found on Earth − and provide clues about the life cycle of stars]( - [Islamic State’s genocide was not limited to killing and enslaving Yazidis, Christians and other communities − it also erased their heritage]( The Conversation News Quiz 🧠- [The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz]( Fritz Holznagel, The Conversation Here’s the first question of [this week’s edition:]( Democrat Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate for 2024. Walz has been a congressman, a teacher and a command sergeant major in the National Guard. What other job has he also held? - A. Puppeteer - B. Smoke jumper - C. HVAC installer - D. 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