Jack’s Gaming Column: A Game I Wish I Could Play

(editor’s note: Yesterday we introduced you to Jack, our first collaborator from the SMA community. For today’s article, we asked Jack to tell us about a video game he wished he could play. He took to Steam, browsed the library and picked out a game that looked like fun to him, and here’s what he shared with us about that experience.)

A Game I Wish I Could Play

By Jack Freedman

My name is Jack Freedman, and I’m 25 years old. I have a disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. My muscles are too weak to use a computer mouse. Because of that, I use Eyegaze. Eyegaze is a computer system that I use with my eyes.  A camera reads the way my eyes move. I use my Eyegaze to type and to move my cursor and to move and click my mouse.  I play games using my keyboard and my mouse. I can play some games independently, but sometimes you have to be quick, and then I need help!

The game I wish I could play is called Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit.  I found the game on Steam.  The driving looks like fun to me. I would like to play it because it would be entertaining and fun for me!

I tested out the game on Steam, and it didn’t work for me because it required a keyboard. Sometimes the keyboard on my Eyegaze works, and sometimes it doesn’t.  Some games work and some games don’t. I can’t play the game at all. I feel disappointed!

For me to be able to play Need For Speed, the controls would have to change from the keyboard to the mouse. If the controls were with the mouse, I would be able to do it on my own independently.

I wish that I could play this game all on my own!

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We wish Jack could play a racing game all on his own too. So, we thought maybe our community could help us solve this problem for Jack. Do you know of any racing games on Steam that can be played with Eyegaze that don’t require a keyboard? We’d love to hear your suggestions for Jack.