Wii’s control sensitivity brought up in gamer’s letter

Companies aren’t perfect. In many cases, there are issues that companies never address because they never actually get to think about that particular problem. It’s Nintendo’s turn to get a dose of awareness from the gaming community.

Kotaku reader Samuel Kahn wrote a letter to Nintendo about a problem he’s got with the Wii, one that some gamers may not think about, but others have to deal with. Samuel’s problem with the Wii is that the controls are too taxing for him. Suffering from Muscular Dystrophy, he has trouble playing games on the console that require big movements, such as the bowling game in Wii Sports.

His letter basically deals with his love for the Nintendo Wii and how the game would be a lot more accessible to gamers with disabilities if they added a tweak for control sensitivity settings to the Wii, the Wiimote and games. Whether or not the company will remember his ideas when making games is one thing, but that certainly doesn’t stop us from spreading the word about a friendly letter from a concerned Nintendo gamer. With enough media attention, you can definitely be sure that Samuel Kahn’s letter will be read by folks at Nintendo, and his voice will be heard by gamers everywhere as well.

For the full text of Samuel Kahn’s letter to Nintendo, click on “Full Article.”

Companies aren’t perfect. In many cases, there are issues that companies never address because they never actually get to think about that particular problem. It’s Nintendo’s turn to get a dose of awareness from the gaming community.

Kotaku reader Samuel Kahn wrote a letter to Nintendo about a problem he’s got with the Wii, one that some gamers may not think about, but others have to deal with. Samuel’s problem with the Wii is that the controls are too taxing for him. Suffering from Muscular Dystrophy, he has trouble playing games on the console that require big movements, such as the bowling game in Wii Sports.

His letter basically deals with his love for the Nintendo Wii and how the game would be a lot more accessible to gamers with disabilities if they added a tweak for control sensitivity settings to the Wii, the Wiimote and games. Whether or not the company will remember his ideas when making games is one thing, but that certainly doesn’t stop us from spreading the word about a friendly letter from a concerned Nintendo gamer. With enough media attention, you can definitely be sure that Samuel Kahn’s letter will be read by folks at Nintendo, and his voice will be heard by gamers everywhere as well.

Here’s Samuel Kahn’s letter:

To whom it may concern,

The first thing I should mention is that I’m an avid gamer and a huge Nintendo fan. I’ve owned nearly every Nintendo console, so as you could probably imagine, I eagerly anticipated the release of the Wii, both as the next Nintendo console and for what it signifies in terms of a revolution in the way we play and perceive games.

As the console neared its release, I began having certain fears about it. I’m disabled; I have Muscular Dystrophy, a genetic neuromuscular disease that makes me weak and limits the range of motion of my joints, which becomes increasingly limited slowly over time. I began fearing that the Wiimote was something I may not be able to use effectively due to my limited range of motion. I hadn’t seen anything published regarding the adjustment of control sensitivity for the Wii and its games.

After buying a Wii on launch day, I discovered my fears were partially justified. I can’t really play some of the games in Wii Sports, because of the broad physical movement required. Bowling is the most glaring example of this. I can however play games with more subtle movement controls such as Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. This leads me to believe that more options related to the adjustment of movement control sensitivity could have been included in games like Wii Sports, as would fit the precision that the Wiimote seems capable of providing.

Games are something I’m very passionate about; they are an arena in which I can compete on even ground with others despite my disability. It’s very frustrating to have home video games, which have always been open and very liberating for me, become limiting. So, my goal in writing this letter is to voice my concerns to Nintendo and other developers, so they could address my concerns and perhaps take them into consideration when developing games for the Wii. I’m certain that I’m not the only disabled gamer with these issues.

Sincerely,

Samuel Kahn