I have been a fan of The Legend of Zelda games for over 20 years. I played the original Zelda on my original NES system when I was just a kid. I enjoyed the ride through Gameboy to Nintendo 64 with Majora’s Mask. I basked in the glow of the greatest of games on Gamecube, and the best Zelda title to date, in my so humble opinion, Ocarina of Time. I even traversed through cartoon-y Link with The Gamecube’s Wind Waker, Gameboy Advance’s The Minish Cap, and both Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks for Nintendo DS. I prefer the more hardcore Link of Ocarina and Majora’s Mask, personally, but nonetheless enjoyed all of the Zelda titles I have played to date.

Today, I bid my longtime companion, and one of my favorite of game series’ adieu. I have no choice but to say farewell to Link. It’s not my fault. Nintendo has made him and his new game no longer accessible to myself and a community of gamers long ignored by the industry, but with a million dollar spending power that oft goes ignored. We are the gamers with physical disabilities.

We knew it might come to this. We knew that popular game series’ might go to the dark side in order to appeal to this need to make gaming physical. The cost to those of us in wheelchairs or with other physical impairments is the inability to play the latest game in a series we’ve stuck with through many changes…through thick and thin. We understand this need to make everything motion controlled, but there is a cost game companies will pay for this transformation. They have shut out an audience that has been loyal to them for years.

I started gaming because I could not often go out and play in the winter months. When I could walk, my muscle disease made it hard for me to traverse through snow without falling over and ice would make me fall and hurt myself. This meant while other kids were out having fun I was inside having fun on my NES, SNES, my cousin’s SEGA system and my Gameboy. As my muscle disease progressed, my doctor recommended I continue to game. It kept my arms and hands moving and my fingers nimble. Any excuse to move them was okay in his book.

As I grew, so did my desire to game. Today I am a longtime gamer, a part of the original Nintendo generation. I also work with many of the top gaming companies to offer up reviews for ALL gamers…not just those of us with disabilities. As I have become a disability rights activist I notice the accessibility in games for others with impairments different then my own. I applaud the games that provide subtitles, which make games accessible to the hearing impaired. Of course, I notice how many games have headed towards motion gaming more readily. That is because this affects me personally.

It makes me sad to think that I can no longer play certain games because they are to physically focused. I do not have the upper body strength to play such games. My able-bodied friends have expressed disdain that even those with upper body strength struggle to play The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, if a person cannot stand. Usually, I can flick my Wiimote to get some movement, but not with this game. I have found a similar problem when trying to play the Kinect. Many Xbox games are impossible to play on Kinect because it recognizes the person in a wheelchair as squatting, not sitting.

While I understand that the U.S. is an obese nation, why can’t gaming companies offer alternatives that allow for different modes of gameplay, so every gamer can participate in the action? These motion games can be harmful to a group not used to moving so much. It has caused health problems in even those who are able-bodied. Why must everything move to the motion-control realm, anyway? What is so appealing about this form of gaming?

Initially, I was nervous when I heard that the latest Fable game, Fable: The Journey, would feature motion gaming capabilities. Fable reminds me quite a bit of Zelda. However, the creators have stressed that they made this game so players could enjoy the game while sitting. Hopefully, for those of us with limited arm mobility, this means we can use minor motions to simulate the same kind of motion to enjoy the game. Otherwise, we might be kissing another game franchise goodbye. While game designer, Peter Molyneux, attempted to make Fable accessible to more than just an audience who can stand, Nintendo has made it impossible to play Skyward Sword unless you have the ability to stand and move quickly.

While many have complained about the game itself, for those of us with disabilities that affect our movement, we cannot even attempt to try out The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. We do not even have the chance to see how this game stacks up, in the series. I guess, for me, that means I must say Goodbye to Link and hello to Skyrim. At least with the Elder Scrolls I can still use my Xbox 360 controller. Hopefully, Bethesda will refuse to go to the dark side. For now, we must remain optimistic and grateful games continue to be made that those of us with mobility issues can still play.

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