ePARA, a Japanese company that promotes diversity and inclusion for disabled esports players held a Street Fighter V: Champion Edition tournament strictly for blind gamers. The Shingan Cup, which ePARA said would showcase “the beauty of working to overcome disability, and the depth of possibilities represented by esports,” featured two teams consisting of three players each.
ePARA hosted its first tournament in November 2019. Besides helping disabled esports players join competitions and organize tournaments, ePARA also holds discussions with gamers about employment opportunities.
“The skills and ability to communicate with others, which are necessary traits in esports, are also traits that companies look for in office workers,” said Daiki Kato, Head of the Organizing Committee for ePARA. “I want to offer a chance for people with disabilities to work as themselves.”
Esports tournaments with blind gamers playing Street Fighter V, a fighting game developed by Capcom, are not unheard of. In 2017, a blind Dutch Street Fighter player named Sven won Spain’s Sonic Boom tournament, beating a sighted player named Musashi in a best-of-three series.
In an interview, Sven, who went blind at the age of five due to cancer, explained that he has played different fighting games before, such as Killer Instinct and Mortal Kombat, but prefers Street Fighter V because of the game’s in-depth sound. Sven managed to beat Musashi using only audio cues.
(All information was provided by Yahoo!)
0 comments on “Blind Gamers Compete In Street Fighter V Tournament”