Just a few days later, Ryan received received a response from the company:Hello!
Because I play games with my feet, I was having trouble enjoying the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire last week. It's hard for me to press triggers on any controller, and the Nintendo Switch is no exception. I did poorly in the game as I could hardly shoot my gun. Because of the lack of remapping, I sadly had to cancel my preorder I was so excited for. I've also not been having a good time with the new Zelda game because of the lack of remapping. I can hardly shoot arrows! As a game developer, I believe it would be easy to add in button remapping to make games more playable for myself and up to 33 Million more gamers with disabilities worldwide. As AbleGamers' Fellow, I'm willing to help in any way I can. With your dedication to accessibility, I'm sure something can be done. Thank you.
AJ Ryan
Though appreciative that Nintendo had written back, Ryan took exception with a phrase the customer service representative used used to describe his situation: "unfortunate condition.""An unfortunate condition is an extremely patronizing and demeaning thing to say to someone with disabilities," said Ryan. "Almost everyone I know was repulsed by the statement. Even a junior level representative should know better than to use such language. Empathy from a representative also isn't something that I needed."What Ryan wanted from Nintendo was action, not empty corporate empathy.Nintendo did not respond to my request for comment.It's not the first time Ryan's been disappointed by Nintendo, either. When he excitedly purchased a Wii with a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, he discovered the Wii version wasn't compatible with the GameCube or Classic Controller. The Wii didn't have button remapping, either, but more problematic for Ryan was the emphasis on motion controls. It was a non-starter.Hello AJ,
Thanks for writing. I'm sorry to hear about your disappointment with the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire. I realize it can certainly be very frustrating to not be able to enjoy the same games as many others do due to having an unfortunate condition, and we sincerely empathize.
I want you to know how much we appreciate you sending your thoughts in to us, and so rest assured that your comments will be added to our records for future reference and will be made available for other departments at the company to review and thoughtfully consider.
Sincerely,
Nintendo of America Inc.
Nintendo has, so far, been frustratingly unreceptive to the plight of AbleGamers and players like Ryan, but Spohn is hopeful that things are changing. He's seen the change himself."Long ago, we had to hunt down who to talk to in these companies," he said. "At GDC 2009, we set up a camera and asked one question 'Have you ever thought about gamers with disabilities?' and most developers answered no; only one developer laughed at the question and walked away. Today, most developers will answer yes, they have thought about it and tried to design for inclusion. It's been an amazing change in the industry, and the long fought battle."Ryan, though, just wants to play the games he loves. Despite his frustrations with Breath of the Wild, he's still trying to make it work. But if Nintendo were to take the time to add some accessibility options, it'd give him a chance to enjoy the game the way it's meant to be played."[It] makes me worried that I might be missing out on some good Nintendo games this gen," he said. "I would regret my purchase, but being able to play and speak on the system's accessibility in hopes that it will someday become accessible makes it worth it."Follow Patrick on Twitter. If you have a tip or a story idea, drop him an email here."Not only do we consider Nintendo platforms to be the most inaccessible, they are the only major publishing house to ignore our requests for accessibility improvements."