Gaming, even with the help of a well-designed controller, can be a physically demanding task. It requires coordination, skill, and hand-strength, even for the simplest first-person games. Not everyone has that strength.
Video games can be particularly difficult for those with physical disabilities. Thankfully, industrious makers are always coming up with new ways to help disabled gamers play with ease. We've seen plenty of cool solutions over the years, from duct tape to wheelchair mods.
In the video above, Caleb Kraft has put together a custom controller for Thomas, a kid with muscular dystrophy. Thomas (not really his name) will gradually lose strength in his hands, but he loves playing Minecraft. While a controller (or the Xbox 360 version of the game) will be fine in the short-term, over the long term Thomas is going to need a custom controller to be able to keep playing. So, that's what Kraft is making.
Kraft goes into great detail about his process over at Hackaday, and points to The Controller Project, a site he's created to collect designs for custom controllers for the disabled.
If you'd like to support this kind of thing, Kraft says you can also head over to Able Gamers, who are championing similar work. Amazingly enough, the controller in the video above can be made with a 3D printer, and Kraft has posted the designs on the hackaday site.
Kraft is quick to point out that there's likely no one-size-fits-all fix for gamers of every disability, and that individual hacks and solutions will likely always be required. It's great to see another person out there tackling this kind of work.