The guys at Special Effect are doing some great work for video game fans who suffer with disability. Doing their very best to make video games an experience that everyone should and can enjoy, they’ve now put Gameblast 16 into action. What’s Gameblast 16, you ask? Well, let us tell you.

The official press release on this event, which centres on getting gamers to run their own fundraising events, reads as follows:

Imagine being massively into videogames but, due a disability which is completely out of your control, you aren’t able to play. Your friends are all talking about how far they’ve got on the latest releases, but all you can do is watch everybody else play and wish that you were able to experience all the pleasures of gaming for yourself. It’d be awful, right?

The wonderful people at Special Effect are well aware of how depressing such a situation might be, and are on a mission to help as many people as possible to enjoy videogames, leisure technology and communication, no matter what their disability might be. To do this, Special Effect visit their customers at home and work out what they want to play and what they need to play it, then modify or create the equipment needed for those customers to begin their gaming adventures.

Check out these couple of videos to see some of Special Effect’s creations in action:

Ceyda’s story:

Ben’s story:

So what’s Gameblast 16 all about? Special Effect are asking people to organise and run their own gaming fundraiser (timed marathon, pub quiz, fancy dress day at work, whatever you like!) during the weekend of February 26-28 2016, with the aim of reaching (and hopefully surpassing) this year’s Gameblast target of £150,000. Supporters can take part as an individual, a group of friends, or even as an organisation, and with the likes of Game, Twitch and Insert Coin all helping to spread the word this year, hopes are high for a fantastic weekend of gaming.

While it’s completely up to you what kind of activity you might like to organise/take part in, here’s an example of a rather ambitious project set to take place in Leeds, West Yorkshire:

One particularly intrepid group of disabled gamers is set to embark upon a 24-hour game-a-thon at the William Merritt Centre in Leeds as part of Gameblast 16, with the aim of raising money to help others with disabilities to access the world of gaming. All contenders will be using a wide variety of equipment such as foot switches, eye-gaze and head switches to assist them to operate the game controllers as they battle against each other in a virtual world throughout the day and night.

Colin McDonnell, co-founder of WMC Gamers, said:

“After the success of last year’s first event when we raised money for Special Effect, I went on a mission to ensure that our group grew, and now we meet regularly and do a variety of different activities as well as gaming. It is important that all people with disabilities get the opportunity to take part in gaming if they want to, and by raising money through Gameblast 16 we hope to help these people do that.”

All of the money raised during Gameblast 16’s various events will enable Special Effect to visit more customers and come up with the right equipment for each client. This support is absolutely vital to the charity, as Special Effect doesn’t charge for their services – it’s all done out of the goodness of their own hearts. Previous Gameblasts have raised a total of £200,000, approximately 90% of which was spent directly on frontline work with customers and their families, with the remaining 10% being used to simply keep the charity runnning.

So wherever you are in the world, if you feel like turning your usual weekend of gaming into a contribution towards a fantastic cause, please head on over to the Gameblast 16 website to register your interest.

https://gameblast16.everydayhero.com/uk/sign-up

Alternatively, if setting up your own event seems like it might be a bit too time-consuming, feel free to hit the button below to visit Special Effect’s donation site and send a bit of love their way.

https://heroix.everydayhero.co.uk/event/GameBlast16/donate

For more information, please visit the Gameblast website or follow/like/subscribe to Special Effect’s various social media platforms:

http://www.specialeffect.org.uk/gameblast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpecialEffectCharity/

Twitter: @gameblast16 / @SpecialEffect

Instagram: specialeffectteam