The 1001-Up.com team attended the Eurogamer Expo 2013 last week and had a great time, but what did we enjoy the most? First up is Kimmy with her choice: Special Effect.
When we came back from the Rezzed event in June this year, we each chose a video game that caught our eye and dedicated an article to it. But at the recent Eurogamer Expo, it wasn’t a big-name release or even an innovative indie title that grabbed my attention (although there was definitely a lot of them to choose from); it was a lovely charity that aims to put fun, inclusion and confidence back into the lives of people with disabilities by helping them to play computer games.
Special Effect is dedicated to using technology to enhance quality of life of people with all kinds of needs, including stroke and road traffic accident patients, individuals with life-limiting conditions and injured soldiers returning from overseas. They are the only UK charity that is devoted to helping everyone, whatever their disability, enjoy video games and leisure technology, kickstarting their rehabilitation, self-esteem and inclusion.
The charity’s teams travel all across the UK to those who can’t make the trip to their Games Centre in Charlbury, Oxfordshire and, as needs change over time, they complete several follow-up visits to make sure that the people they support keep playing to the very best of their abilities. Their equipment library is a kind of ‘try before you buy’ scheme, so individuals can test out hardware in their own homes and have the confidence that if they buy the technology it will be the right fit. And, as they don’t sell any equipment themselves, their advice is totally independent.
Special Effect’s award-winning roadshows are fun-packed events where they cram a van full of gaming equipment and drive all over the UK to let people with disabilities discover that they can enjoy video games. It’s a project that has been running since 2009 at a wide variety of hospitals and organisations including Great Ormond Street School, Stoke Mandeville Hospital and The Children’s Trust. The charity is always aiming for greater inclusion for the young people involved, and so the aim for this year is to gain an insight into the specific benefits of technology for those who are either suffering from a severe illness, have a sever disability or are recovering from a serious injury.
Special Effect’s roadshows help people discover that they can enjoy video games.
We had the pleasure of meeting Gavin Tan (Project Customer Care Coordinator) and Hannah Whittaker (Events Coordinator) from Special Effect at the recent Eurogamer Expo and it was lovely to see that they were so enthusiastic about their charity. After being so impressed by their passion and dedication to such a worthwhile cause, I’ve now set up a monthly donation through their Just Giving page in order to do my bit.
But this won’t be the last you see of 1001-Up.com’s involvement with Special Effect. It’s such an amazing charity and one that we’d love to help; we all know how much we enjoy playing video games and what better than to see everyone be a part of that fun? If you’d like to be involved yourself, head over to their website, follow them on Twitter or take a look at their Facebook page.
Watch out for W1ngman’s ‘Best of Eurogamer′ article tomorrow on Eden Star, and for P-Diddy’s piece on Beyond: Two Souls on Wednesday.
