Overwatch fan with cerebral palsy thanks Blizzard for custom controls

An Overwatch fan with cerebral palsy has thanked Blizzard for the extensive array of customisable controls in its new arena shooter.

Zak - Reddit username zak552 - praised Blizzard for the way Overwatch caters for players who use alternative controls.

In a message posted to the Overwatch subreddit last night, Zak explained that he was often forced to use shotguns in video games as his condition has made him unable to hold a controller while moving, aiming and firing all at the same time.

"Some games elude me," he wrote. "You see, the way my hands are I am only able to use one hand for one action at one time per hand. So essentially I can only press two buttons simultaneously.

"Yasuo in League of Legends is a no go for me because of all the mechanics at play. Grapplers in fighting games usually off limits because they mostly require simultaneous button presses. Shooters are the biggest offender."

Each of Overwatch's characters controls in a slightly different way, while their skills vary wildly. But Zak was able to snipe by turning on the game's aim toggle and mapping 'fire' to his controller's left analogue stick button.

Uncharted 4 developer Naughty Dog was also recently praised for its control customisation options, which were partly inspired by the Disabled Accessibility for Gaming Entertainment Rating System (DAGER).

"I just wanted to thank you, Blizzard, for having near endless control customisation in Overwatch," Zak said. "I don't know if this was your goal, but because of your extensive options I am able to play every character in the roster and it feels great. Because of you I made my first snipe in a video game today.

"I really hope someone at Blizzard sees this," he concluded. "I want to make [the company] aware that this kinda game design matters."