Dave Myers may face extra challenges when gaming and sim racing. But that does not keep him from staying positive - or off the virtual starting grid.
Getting into sim racing is not that easy. Getting into sim racing with gear that is designed to be operated with two hands and two feet while missing one of each is even harder - yet, that is exactly what Dave Myers (@iav1arm1leg) did. On TikTok, he shares his gaming and sim racing adventures as a double amputee, including a fair bit of humor.
While this is a way of sharing his passion for gaming and sim racing, Dave also wants to try and use the platform to raise awareness for more accessible gaming peripherals.
Dave's own disability goes back to 2002. "I got run over by a train. On a night out, I was running across the platform, lost my footing when I was quite inebriated, and then fell between two carriages", Dave recalls. He lost his right arm and leg that night - but he didn't let that discourage him from picking up gaming again.
"I have been a keen gamer all the way back to the PlayStation 1 days, playing Formula One. I wanted to continue gaming after my accident, so I did that", Dave says. And after friends and family convinced him to hop onto social media, he took his passion online, even livestreaming his sessions.
Logitech Helped Out - Pedal Adaptation Needed
While Dave plays most games on a normal controller equipped with special analog stick grips using his left hand and his chin and mouth, he also does sim racing - on a wheel-and-pedal setup. That required some adaptation as well, however.
His stept of taking his gaming journey online coincided with a step up in racing gear, as Dave explains: "I played Gran Turismo anyway. The thing that accelerated it is that I reached out to Logitech to ask them questions about the pedals and adaptations for the wheel. And they noticed what I was trying to achieve, so they decided to help me out."
That led to Dave using a Logitech Trophy Playseat as well as the Logitech RS Pro Wheel and RS Pedals on his PlayStation 5. Most able-bodied sim racers would probably struggle with this at first, however, because on Dave's rig, the accelerator has been moved to the left so he can use his left foot more efficiently. For shifting up and down, Dave uses buttons on the wheel that are within reach of his left hand.
Dave has since partnered with Logitech, also offering feedback and ideas for more accesibility features for hardware to the manufacturer - such as a split pedal for people who only have the use of one foot. "It could work by having a leverage system that lets you push the lower part of the pedal to brake, and the upper part with your toes to accelerate", explains Dave.
This is rooted in his own experience of losing time when transitioning from the throttle to braking. Most modern racing cars are most effectively driven using left-foot braking, so there is (ideally) no gap between letting off the throttle and hitting the brake. With one foot, the driver has to move it from one pedal to another, losing valuable time in the process.
At the same time, Dave hopes to add visibility to gamers with disabilities, especially for younger ones. "They might have a mental blocker and think that they can't do it. But seeing someone with just one arm and one leg do it might make them realize that it is possible for them as well", says Dave.
Thanks to his TikTok and livestreams, he also has amassed a bit of a community, and Dave has also gotten in touch with other sim racers with disabilities, such as streamer Chapperss. "He's got one leg, but he doesn't use it at all", knows Dave. "Instead, he uses analogue paddles to brake and accelerate and changes gears with his other two fingers."
That just goes to show how different solutions can be, and with the different needs of different disabilities, it can prove quite hard to come up with a working setup. The fact that many modern sim racing wheels include analogue clutch paddles is a good step in the right direction already - but maybe there might be more to be done in that regard.
Fundraiser Stream For AbleGamers On May 30
To help with this, Dave has partnered with AbleGamers, a charity that aims to "combat social isolation through play", according to its own website. The charity provides adaptive equipment for people with disabilities, enabling them to participate in gaming on PC and consoles.
Dave is looking to raise funds for AbleGamers by doing a 12-hour race in Gran Turismo 7, which he will livestream on his TikTok account. In the race, Dave will be competing against the game's Sophy AI. Logitech supports the event with hardware giveaways, and so does Playseat. Dave is working to get even more brands on board until the event kicks off.
Donations are already accepted - click the button below if you are interested in joining Dave's and AbleGamers' cause!
What are your thoughts on Dave's racing and gaming endeavours? What would you like to see for accessibility hardware in sim racing? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our hardware forum!