AbleGamer’s Twitch Channel: For Disabled Gamers, By Disabled Gamers

Always striving to discover new ways to push game accessibility forward, AbleGamers accepted a fundraiser looking to do something different for charities. The fundraiser involved three people playing video games live on the internet for an extended period of time. They had plans to play through the first two Gears of War games back to back, then proceed to play the online multiplayer beta for the third. This fundraiser took place over multiple days straight, and raised enough money to help fund a grant for accessible gaming hardware that had been left waiting for a long period of time. This was the first online livestream raising money for AbleGamers, taking place nearly ten years ago, and was my first introduction to the work that goes on with AbleGamers. Without seeing and donating and sharing the joy and fun contained in that livestream, myself and the others who tuned in may have never been introduced to gaming accessibility. It’s why, still today, online livestreams are a major part of fundraising and spreading the message of AbleGamers. Look no further than the AbleGamers Twitch Channel for proof of that.

Recently featured in Paste Magazine’s article, “8 Twitch Streamers You Need to Watch”, the work of the AbleGamers Twitch channel is varied and exciting. A collection of gamers from the AbleGamers community dedicate time to stream through the channel, showing off a variety of games. Some of the streamers you’ll see on the channel focus on competitive play in the hottest games of today. Some dedicate time to the strategic challenges found in the hardest strategy games around, while others enjoy the simple life of farming and achievement hunting. Others play for the story, with each stream being the next chapter in the game, allowing viewers to progress alongside them. These streams all take place at different times during the week, with archives saved on the channel for people who want to see what they missed live. The channel features many unique voices, as well as adding more streamers all the time!

The Twitch channel works into the mission of AbleGamers in a variety of ways. The channel is a Partnered channel, meaning that the charity makes money through the streams, whether that be people paying for a subscription, donating bits, or just watching the stream. It also allows people to connect through the streams, finding new streamers that they enjoy watching or new games to check out. It also gives viewers a place to stop by and talk about AbleGamers, to ask questions of streamers and of the charity. The channel also opens the world of AbleGamers to new people simply by being on the list of people playing their favorite game, or one they’ve wanted to learn about.

Livestreams and fundraisers through livestreaming services have been a huge part of AbleGamers for years. This is shown by the quality of streamers brought to the channel, and the whole charity’s support of fundraising through streaming. To follow the channel and get notified whenever AbleGamers goes live with a new stream, check AbleGamers out on Twitch.tv. There’s also information on the AbleGamers website if you’re interested in doing a charity fundraiser for AbleGamers as well, with streamers everywhere welcomed!

 


 

Brian Conklin is Editor-in-Chief of AbleGamers, having nearly double digit years spent with the charity. When he’s not helping developers make their game more accessible or writing for AG, he spends his time gaming, hiking, biking, and Pokemon Go-ing (which is really just all of those put together). You can find more from Brian at his Twitter account, streaming for AbleGamers every Tuesday, streaming on his own Twitch channel once every few months, or his persistent art project on Instagram.