Tics, tremors, and video games

So just over a year ago I got my very first games console.

With the help of my partner and PA at the time I went to CEX and got a PlayStation 3 and the Harry Potter Lego games.

I was scared how I would find it both in terms of would I like playing video games, but also how would I cope with my disabilities, particularly my Tourette’s, and also tremors caused by side effects from my psych medication.

So I got myself a kind of rubber protector case for the controller with a strap on it I could hold which stopped the controller getting thrown or dropped due to tics.

Well firstly I have grown to love playing video games. I now also have a switch and have all the Lego games currently available, and also animal crossing.

But yes tics and tremors do make playing games harder. (Also pain in my right wrist and fingers affects me too, which is a newer symptom of a currently undiagnosed chronic pain condition)

Here are some things I struggle with:

• Pressing the wrong button

• Not being able to hold buttons down long enough

• Running in random directions

• Dying a lot because I end up making characters run off edges etc.

• Pain meaning I need regular breaks

• Dropping the console/controller

• Pressing random buttons over and over.

• Pressing the same but wrong button over and over.

• Vocal tics mean I lose concentration

So those are some more physical things I struggle with, but mentally too I can struggle with things like:

• Poor concentration

• Hallucinations

• Too much sensory input

• Compulsions

But overall I really enjoy playing video games. They are a way that I can both be watching something and doing something with my hands. They are a good distraction. And smashing random stuff on the Lego games is good for stress relief and getting anger out.

I also like how with a switch I can play in the lounge or in bed, or even out and about.

So at age 29 I discovered video games, and yes my disabilities do affect how I play them and my ability to play them, but I still enjoy playing them and I adapt and work with my disabilities to be able to play as a disabled gamer.