Hey! I'm a quadriplegic who plays games with a mouth stick ask me anything.

What do you like most about playing games, and what would you like to see more of in games?

i like the competitive spirit people have when playing multiplayer games. I would like games of the mmo genre to work on guilds and community's staying together long because now a days guilds break up/become inactive way to fast

Yeah, I get what you mean about guilds.

If you don't mind me asking, how do you type? Is it also with the mouth stick?

Ya i use my mouth stick to type.

I know communication is everything, but how tedious is that. Do you use predictive text, at least?

I type out everything. I have tried a voice program before but it did not work out.

Good on you. You are a good typist. No typos. I'm not much of a gamer, but I thought you look nice. Can you make a recommendation for good games for people who want action, challenges, and a reasonable social aspect to a game?

league of legends is challenging to me but as for the social aspect they can get mean sometimes.

sometimes?

lol ok always

The Moba communities also often have many young hormone-filled teens who will use slurs and really just plain old mean language without realizing who they may be hurting directly.

ya i get called stuff all the time and i play support/jungle

Has anyone ever told you, you look like Anthony Kiedis from Red Hit Chili Peppers? Because you do, if not than now you have.

ya yesterday lul

How did you get injured? (if you don't mind me asking) And what is the biggest thing you miss about being fully mobile?

i was in a car accident [hit n run]. I miss doing things with out the need to ask for help.

I got shot, shattered c4-c6. No one without loss of Mobility can understand how frustrating daily tasks can get.

ya man im a c4-c5

How did you end up injured? And where did you end up for Spinal Rehab? Sorry I get excited when I find someone I can relate to.

i was in a hit and run car crash and they sent me to shriners in sacramento.

What are some of your favorite games?

league of legends and overwatch atm. I also like building games.

Overwatch - didn't see that coming. I guess I would have thought your response would be too hindered to play a game like that effectively. Is that not the case?

Then again you're probably still better than me at it.

my rank in overwatch is only gold and i only play rein and winston in ranked.

That's still insanely impressive. Good on you!

thanks man i appreciate the kind words. i have had a guy harassing me like for 2hous on my stream i just keep blocking him

That's pretty shit. Hope he leaves you alone soon. I just took a look at your stream and you type pretty fast by the look of it. Are you answering the AMA on the stream? I'll probably take a look tomorrow to watch a game as well.

ya ill be on tomorrow 2

You stream on Twitch?

yes

Holy crap you're styling on people only using your mouth for a control? That's crazy. There is zero way I would make it out of bronze like that. Keep it up, overwatch is a fantastic game.

thx man

Holy shit man, gold?! That's insane.

haha thx man

How do you play League, out of curiosity?

i rebind my mouse buttons to g and h for movement.

I'm really impressed that you can play league!! Who do you main as and where??

i play jungle supp and sometimes mid but atm am spamming taric lol

Have you ever seen a movie called "The intouchables"?

Incredible french movie about a quadriplegic, everyone should watch it to be honest

i have not see it but ill check it out when i have time

Do you record at all? Any videos we could see? Also, do you primarily play off of systems or PC?

twitch.tv/tehzuh and i play pc mostly but i can play consoles with the mouse/keyboard device .

Do you experience any Phantom Pains? And if so what does it feel like ?

Omg ya i do. Sometimes but butt hurts like heck and sometimes when my hands fall asleep they hurt so bad .

Have you been offended by how strangers react to you in public? If so, can you give the most often example?

I have not yet been offended by anyone but people do look at me and smile if i make eye contact.

How often do you clean your mouth stick?

Everyday i try to because my lips get supper dry sometimes

Why don't you have a text to speech program?

i used to use one or at least i tried but i did not work out.

Sorry to harp on about this, but I have done some stuff setting up adaptive IT spaces and from what I see everybody struggles with voice to text for a fair while. I understand for some people it straight up won't work, but please don't think that it won't work just because it sucked for a long while. The programs these days learn your voice pretty well, better than even three years ago. I know a guy with cerebral palsy who I can't understand well that uses JAWS passably, but only with his memory-cache-learning-thingy loaded in.

So glad you can get your gaming fix :) I suck at Overwatch and it really bruises my ego to think that a guy playing with a mouth-stick probably pwned me at some stage.

i didnt think it was bad it just that the ammount of time i needed to put in to it did not fit my schedule because i was also doing therapy and schooling.

Not trying to offend you

Do you still enjoy life? What's something you would like to learn how to do? Would you consider going to Europe to try stem-cell?

I do enjoy life but it does get to me sometimes. I want to learn to draw better if my hands ever decide to work . About stem cell, they told me that if i do it out of the usa that i cant do it when it eventually comes to us.

I hope everything goes well for you man. And who knows, its almost 2017. Technology is getting better everyday, I'll keep you in my prayers man.

thx man

You are pretty amazing... from where do you take the strength?

i dunno man im just living day by day.

Do the doctors have a timeline for stem cell integration or is it a mystery? Like... Sweden or somewhere has to be doing stem cell injections. Right?

From hat i keep hearing its soon but i cant do any out of state treatments our else i cant do any of the usa ones.

Do you know why? Is it because of differences on techniques?

I dont know why but i would guess that your answer is the right one. They are trail treatments so i suppose every country is trying something different.

How long did it take to get used to playing with a mouth stick? Do you control your wheel chair with a mouth stick as well?

When i first started using it my neck would get sore but now im fine. i use the back of my hand for my wheel chair

You're a good looking dude! Do you have a girlfriend/wife? How do/did you navigate the dating scene with your situation?

i had a gf when i got hurt and we stayed together for like 2more years after that. Dating scene lol. i dont try n date anyone because atm i like doing the stuff i want to do.

I'm in a wheelchair with a degenerative neurological condition so my upper limbs will go one day. Will I still enjoy dota? (it's similar to LoL if you don't already know) do you think I'll be able to maintain my ranking? How much learning goes into what you do?

o man i can at least use my arms so i couldn't tell you. how i play is i re bind my left click and right to my keyboard and i rest my hand(that doesn't work btw) on a track ball mouse.

Have you tried stardew valley? do you think the controls can be adjusted for your playstyle? It just got ported to the XBOne. I'd love for you to be able to play it.

ya man i tried it and its fun

Is there anything game developers can do to better support people in yours and other similar conditions? I'd imagine there's plenty of situations where there's an obvious and easy solution but developers just don't think about it. Any insight?

besides making more game that let you rebind the mouse buttons not really or at least i cant think of any.

How does it work?

its a metal stick that has a piece of plastic on the end. Its fairly simple really.

But how do you press multiple buttons at once? Wouldn’t some kind of 3D Joystick, Eye-Tracking (or even a Touchscreen) etc. etc. be much better?

i use a program call key rebinder that lets me rebind keys so they are closer together . it lets me rebind mouse keys too since alot of fps dont let you rebind your mouse

What are your thoughts on lag? Does it affect your game play?

I dont have to much problems with lag but i do have a problem like if my keyboard where to move i end up missing buttons because my brain memorized how far i should reach out to press a button with my stick.

I'm really glad you're doing this AMA; thank you. I don't know how to react to disabled people in public. I love people watching and do it without thinking these days. Do I just pan through and not acknowledge that there is anything different between you and the man walking next to you? Or do I stop, make eye contact and smile? I realise that your answer may not be inclusive of everyone's wants/needs, but you may have an insight that could help. Please forgive me if i have involuntarily used any offensive syntax or diction. Thank you.

from my experience people just come up to me n say hi. i had this one guy give me a card with a prayer on it be4. People also think im super fragile for some reason but im not.

You on oce server for league?

na

Do you ever use flavored sticks?

no but its a great idea and would work super easy.

What flavors do you think would be best? My vote is for strawberry

watermelon lol

I know the question is strange but how do you put on your headphones ?

i ask someone to do it. my dad most of the time.

Hello! Do you have no limbs? Sorry, I'm guessing, I'm not trying to offend you. Quad is four, therefore, my guess. What type of games do you play? Also, is it difficult to play games with a mouth stick? Did you every play games differently?

Ya quad is four and i do have all my limbs in just cant use my legs at all and i can move my arms up till i get to my wrists. I play almost all game genre's but i have the most difficulty with fps games

Okay. How did it happen? (If this question is too personal don't bother) Do you read books? If so do you use the mouth stick for that as well?

i was in a car accident. i do read books but mostly fantasy and sometimes science fiction. i use my mouth stick to turn pages as well.

I'm glad you survived the accident. Out of curiosity, have you every read Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy? If you haven't, I suggest you should, as it is sci-if, and humorous. Have a nice rest of you day/night!

i have not read or seen the movie but i will check it out.

How would you make the process of playing easier?/what are some problems you have while playing? Im a studying User Experience (UX) and would love to work on something like this

if more games had auto walk that would make things SOOOOO much easier. Also if more fps games let you rebind the mouse keys.

How are you typing? And howlong does it take to type sentences? Does your speed improve over time?

im using the mouth stick and it takes as long as using 1 finger i think lol

What's the most difficult game for you to play?

FPS games are super hard for me. I play h1z1 atm and its hard for me to aim and shoot and strife back n fourth at the same time.

Have you given VR a try?

ya the ps one is cool

Hi man

Could you shed a bit more light on what you mouth stick is? I'm curios to see how you would his it to play games

BTW glad to see something so horrible wouldn't keep you from gaming

its just a long metal stick that i can adjust in size that i hold in my mouth to press buttons on my keyboard. Imagine a long finger but in your mouth.

Hawt.

LOL

Where did you get it?

some lady comes to my house 1once a year n sometimes brings them . if she doesn't i have to buy them for a $100 each...i only have one atm

So how do you use your joystick, if you know what I mean? Does it still work?

lul i dont use it as i dont have a gf and my hands dont work

What do you think of Mario?

super mario? i like it but the wii is super hard for me to play.

Do you give kick-ass head?

lol im not gay but if i was id hope soo

[deleted]

both legs because i can move my arms i cannot move my wrists/hands

Let's change the question then: Would you rather regain use of a wrist and a hand (you choose from which arm) or both legs?

still both legs because i would be able to get around better.

Did you ever work with an occupational therapist?

Ya i went to Shriners hospital for a while and the one was sent home for about a year.

Cool to hear, I just graduated!

Dang nice man. Good luck !!!!

What was your most played game this year?

league of legends ,h1z1 and overwatch are my most played 3

How do you go about building games and which ones are your favorite to work on?

by building games i meant games like minecraft and terraria but i usually just build whatever in them.

Oh my bad lol I like a lot of fantasy books too. Care to share any you like? I'm big into R.A. Salvatore and Ed Greenwood

atm im reading the dinosaur lords and i like it

Could you please elaborate on the very start of your gaming journey following your accident? I'm wondering if there was a day where you decided to barrel through frustrations and commit to learning the new process, even if it was very intimidating, and would love to hear about that.

When i got hurt i started playing star wars galaxies alot. The only fustrations i had where getting the set up right because i went to shriners hospital for kids and they helped me alot there

Rocket League?

i do not own it but it looks cool.

Are you able to 360 noscope? This is actually a sincere question, because that would be damn impressive.

Admire the determination, lad. And happy that you're doing this. Cheers!

i suck so bad at fps games so no haha

How did you get into gaming ?

pc gaming? my friend showed me Star wars galaxies n i got hooked .

Not related to gaming, but Im curious how you became quadriplegic? :)

a hit and run car accident.

do you play Jrpg like FF, Tales, DQ etc etc ???

i have never played any ff game but does kingdomhearts count?

How muscular is your tongue?!

its normal lol but my neck is pretty muscular when im not falling over

How are you typing these answers?

my mouth stick =]

How difficult is it for you to write text with a mouth stick

How many WPM?

dunno my wpm but its not hard

Consoles or pc?

both baby i love both.

Which game would you say you are best at?

world of warcraft and star wars galaxies before they shut it down.

How can you talk with your mouth full?

its not full the mouth party is pretty thin.

Does it fall out when you talk? How do you keep it in your mouth? Is it attached to your teeth or something?

Also you must be pretty dextrous to play games and type out sentences with movements of your neck. Respect.

i hold it up with my tongue and ya my neck used to get tired but im good now.

How did you become quadriplegic? What kind of education do you have?

A hit and run car accident and i finished high school.

Can you 360 quickscope?

i wish lol but sadly i suck at fps games.

Are you good?

i have only been to gold on both overwatch and LOL and i play h1z1 for fun

Having recently broken my hand and only being able to play games with one hand i can't imagine what you have been through but well done for making the most of a bad situation!

If you could give one piece of advice to people what would it be?

my advice would be dont dwell on being hurt / a quad. Alot of people will tell you how you should do things from now on or you have to do this you have to do that but decided for your self and do what makes you happy.

Hey man! I'm a quadriplegic to, I use my left thumb on the left stick and my chin on the right. Ended up getting one of the new Xbox Elite controllers so I could remove and add buttons underneath. How much Mobility do you have in your hands? I have almost full in my left but virtually nothing in my right.

i can move my left arm only and on my right arm i can move up to my wrists but my wrists still gets tired.

Have you ever gotten angry and choked on your controller?

no lol its a stick. The mouth piece part is super thin and its too wide to go down my throat.

Were you always on my team when I used to play L4D2? Because whenever someone inevitably walked off the ledge at hotel it certainly felt that way.

lol was not me.

Hey there, big fan of your work, although I'm sure that's not the only thing you stick in your mouth!
What is your favorite cereal? And why is it honeynut cheerios?
THANKS! And Relevant -> http://i.imgur.com/DyH5mgL.png

lol that was funny