Finger, knee and toe controls rekindle Kyle’s gaming ambitions
Tuesday, May 13th, 2025
When our specialist assessment team visited Kyle earlier this year he hadn’t played games for many months due to the effects of his motor neurone disease. He’d been a dedicated gamer and was keen to continue playing, so our team worked with him to identify suitable body movements that might be harnessed to help him to enjoy the games he loved.
At the time of the visit he had no movement in his left hand, but he did have limited movement in his right, so the team secured a low-force joystick on the top of his thigh which he could use with his index finger. He got on really well with this, and the team used the Rocket League remapping options to switch the directional controls to the joystick, enabling him to accelerate, steer and reverse.
Kyle also had good movement in his legs, so the team were able to securely mount two button switches either side of one of his knees, and a small switch below his toes. These extra controls enabled Kyle to jump, boost and drift his car.
Kyle also enjoyed using his new accessible setup to play Sonic Mania during the visit, and he was excited to have enough controls to play Roblox. The team then showed him and his brother how they could play games co-operatively, so if Kyle wanted to play more complex games or wanted help, they could play together as a team.
It was fantastic to see Kyle enjoying his games again by the end of the visit. Our team will stay in touch with his family if he would like further support to play games.
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