Michael Begum, aka Brolylegs, was born with arthrogryposis, and has limited use of his limbs. He is also a distinguished gamer. Michael writes about his experience with disability and gaming in his autobiography My Life Beyond the Floor, and AbleThrive’s Communications Manager, Tim, has reviewed his book!
Here’s Tim’s review, in his own words:
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Before going any further, there are two things you need to know about me: 1. The last book I read was, The Alchemist by Paulo Cohelo (in 2009). 2. Despite my own diagnosis of congenital cerebral palsy, I have only been part of the “disability community” for about nine months and this was my first time reading the autobiography of another person with a disability. In short, reading this book was a new experience for me in many ways, but proved tremendously rewarding.
Why this book?
The author, Mike “BrolyLegs” Begum is a professional fighting (video) game player with a disability, meaning that he represents the intersection of two very distinct groups: videogamers and disability; while they overlap more often than one might think, the added vocation of “author” is even more rare, which begs the question, why this book?
If I told you that my first console was a Super Nintendo and I have been playing videogames since 1995, the connection would be obvious: he’s a gamer with a disability; I’m a gamer with a disability.
Rewind to summer 2014, Ultra Street Fighter IV had just been released and I rented the game on a whim with a friend. Aside from my initial exposure to the franchise through Street Fighter II on the Super Nintendo, I hadn’t played a Street Fighter title since the early 90s. I lost every single match that I played that day, but for the first time in my life, I wanted to know why.
I was curious to know if there was a way to modify my controller to better fit my hands, when I came across Mike’s Ask Me Anything (AMA) on Reddit.
I was amazed at how well he played with his face! In the book, Mike credits an interview he did with CrossCounter TV as a turning point in his gaming career; I watched that interview, as well as 50 other videos on the corresponding YouTube channel that day. Four years have passed since then and I now spend a portion of my free time watching highlights from recent tournaments and telling my disinterested friends about the newest character releases for Street Fighter V. Thank you, Mike, Cross Counter, and the entire FGC (Fighting Game Community) for giving me a hobby.
Mike Begum excels at something I’m passionate about and is disabled like I am; moreover, he is the embodiment of what AbleThrive stands for, someone who is living their best life with a disability.
Review
- The book was more about family than Street Fighter, but I was okay with that.
- Mike is honest. Honest about living with a disability. Honest about his parents coping with his birth. Honest about fear, sadness, bathrooms, love, and joy. Honest to the point that reading this book seemed invasive, at times.
- My favorite part was learning about his first electric wheelchair (table) and how much freedom it gave him. I got my own chair in fifth grade and ran over everyone’s feet; I was the happiest kid in the world. I remember, before the chair, sitting in one spot for hours on end, wishing I could join in on the fun.
- His parents were a lot like mine- handyman father, the one who fixed everything, even now; a mother that expected nothing but success, but showed an outpouring of love.
- I was fortunate to have the same aide from kindergarten to 12th grade, but I empathized with his plight of finding a rhythm with people who were helping him.
- His anecdotes are a raw and unfiltered testament to where he’s been, where he is, and where he’s going.
Are you intrigued? Want to get a copy of My Life Beyond the Floor for yourself? Click on the link below:
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