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Gaming gave me my life back
Published in Summer 2024 edition of FORWARD magazine
As a tetraplegic, Ian thought he’d lost any chance of being able to do things independently – until he found gaming again.
After sustaining a C4/5 spinal cord injury following a cycling accident in 2014, Ian Kavanagh was determined to find a way back to a hobby he’d loved – gaming. What he hadn’t counted on was the freedom it would give him after years of being reliant on others for so many of his needs.
“I’d always been physically active and loved cycling and rock-climbing, but gaming was a major part of my life and something I’d enjoyed doing since I was a kid,” Ian, 38, from Liverpool, remembers. “I’d always played computer games with my dad, always had the latest console and the best games out.”
As a tetraplegic, coming to terms with not taking part in most of the physical activities he’d loved so much was hard, but in gaming he saw a route back to a new kind of normality. Yet, it would still take hours of frustration watching his friends and family play before he researched gaming options for those like himself with high-level injuries.
“Gaming has given me my life back – and my pride! As a tetraplegic, there’s not much I can do on my own. Being able to play a game without someone doing it for me and the freedom that gives me is amazing.
“My sister would come round and I’d watch her play,” says Ian. “As a gamer, watching other people play games is the most frustrating thing ever, especially when they’re doing stuff wrong! You just want to take over and show them what to do! Or do it for them. I thought, how can I get back into this?” When Ian discovered the QuadStick, it was a ‘game-changing’ moment. Coming with a joystick, sip/puff pressure sensors and a sensor on the lip, the device allows users to enjoy a hands-free gaming experience with most functions being controlled by the mouth.
“Now my nephews are gaming age, it’s given a bond back with them. They call me the King and tell everyone no one can beat their Uncle Ian!”
“I found some videos on YouTube where high level tetras were talking about getting back into gaming,” says Ian. “I discovered the gaming online streamer RockyNoHands and thought it all looked amazing.” With compatibility across consoles such as PlayStation and Nintendo Switch and with Windows and Mac computers, Ian became the proud owner of his QuadStick in 2021 and it took him around six months to feel competent using it.
“I made a lot of mistakes!” Ian remembers. “Between the sip holes and the lip trigger, there are countless combinations for playing games. There’s a bit of trial and error involved but now I don’t even think about it. Having a high-level injury, you do work your lungs hard using the Quadstick and I did find myself getting out of breath at first. But it’s good to push myself, and I’ve found that between the gaming and my singing (I love singing!), my lung strength is better.”
For Ian, one of the best parts about gaming again is the quality time it gives him with his three nephews Alex, 10, Oliver, eight and Jacob, three. “Alex was only nine months old when I was first injured. He was my world but when he saw me for the first time after my injury he screamed. He was terrified of how I looked. There were tubes everywhere and I had a trachea then, so I couldn’t talk. He didn’t want to be near me. It was so hard,” remembers Ian.
“Now my nephews are gaming age, it’s given a bond back with them. At the ages they are now, able-bodied me would’ve been taking them out for bike rides and being active but gaming has given us something we can all do together. They call me the King and tell everyone that no one can beat their Uncle Ian! They know I can’t lift them up or swing them around – but they know I can kick their ar**s on the computer!”
“The games I play are all about the story – sort of like watching a good movie unfold but to know you’re part of making stuff happen, it’s a great feeling. Still, I can’t sit up for hours like I did before as I’ve got to think about my skin, and about pressure areas.”
Ian encourages everyone to give gaming a go – even those who hadn’t gamed before they were injured. He says too many people assume that gaming is just about shooting things and suggests there’s a game out there for everyone, whether it’s planting grass playing golf or using a power hose!
He’d like to see big companies like Sony do more to make gaming more accessible for disabled people and hopes this summer’s Disability Expo in London will help raise voices and drive a movement for change within the industry.
Further information
This story appeared in the Summer issue of our magazine FORWARD. The only magazine dedicated to the spinal cord injury community. With fascinating and thought-provoking lifestyle features and the latest news and research, the high-quality publication covers topics such as health, daily living, employment, relationships and family, sport and travel.
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