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Mollie is a disabled content creator and DEI advocate. Her work focuses on pushing for inclusivity within the gaming space and industry, being incredibly vocal of how games themselves can be a better representation of the gaming community as a whole.
Mollie can be found on Twitter at @littlemotac_
Within the last 15 or so years, content creation has quickly become a growing career choice for many, particularly within the gaming sphere. This has been possible in part because there have been huge developments in the price and availability of decent quality technology. Whereas prospective creators used to have to film on handicams or through built-in laptop cameras, they are now able to make dynamic full-length films on their phones, or even livestream to thousands of people from their own home. With these advancements, and the massive growth of the games industry, you would hope that this would inherently help in levelling the playing field for everyone to be able to try their hand at content creation, but to the contrary, this is a part of the games industry that still needs a huge amount of work put in to better support and uplift marginalised creators, including disabled people.
Accessibility has had a huge push within the gaming industry over the last seven or so years, with amazing progress being made, enabling more disabled people to participate in gaming as a hobby, or play for longer periods of time with less discomfort. This is particularly important as up to one third of gamers do self-identify as disabled. Although not perfect, and there is still huge room for improvement, recent innovations and efforts going towards accessibility have meant more and more gamers can be included in the wonderful stories and communities that games offer.
However, I don’t believe this spirit of accessibility and inclusion has yet been carried over to the disabled content creators working within the space.
Content creation, in an ideal world, would be an incredibly accessible job or hobby for disabled gamers. It allows people to work around their own schedules, bodies and brains. It can somewhat make things easier for people that struggle to socialise in person, or people that struggle with the amount of hours a full-time job demands. Life as a disabled person is so unpredictable and varied that finding employment that is accessible can be extremely difficult, and content creation offers a possible alternative to that.
Getting into gaming content as a job, or even as a hobby, can be extremely difficult for anyone. If you’ve ever considered trying to get into the field, I do not doubt that you have seen many posts talking about how many hours you have to put in and how you have to be part of the “hustle” culture to really make it as a content creator. However, imagine all of that being true and having to add managing a disability on top of it all.
Being disabled means time management can be a job in itself – arranging appointments, putting in and picking up prescriptions, researching seating at a venue, calling ahead for access staff, planning rest days, managing and arranging carers, changing and maintaining medical equipment and aids, the list can go on. Again, time is difficult for anyone trying to break into content creation, but there are always extra items in the diary for a disabled person.
So, this is where the accessibility issues for disabled creators begin. Disabled people keeping up with the so-called “hustle” that non-disabled creators push for is almost impossible, some of us don’t have the energy, some don’t have the time, and some don’t have the access or accomodations. Whilst it is true that, yes, content creation is an unsatiated beast that you constantly need to feed to please the algorithms, being on the other side of it and having content creation as my full-time job, I plead with people to stop pushing this unhealthy narrative. There are many ways to get into content creation that do not involve burning yourself into the ground.
Personally, I’ve actually found that pumping out video after video, or streaming for hours on end did not necessarily lead to growth, but just led to me becoming incredibly burnt out. Instead, a huge alternative can be publishing less content, but catering to a very specific and niche audience. You can mostly see this on YouTube, but it can also be applied to other video platforms like TikTok where creators can go viral for a singular video. Many larger creators seem to decidedly post only one video a month, or even every few months. However, the video subject or content is so specialised to its niche that it still garners thousands of views, despite the lack of consistent content. Mila Tequila, Carlos Maza, Jenny Nicholson, and, specifically to gaming, “NakeyJakey” are all examples of this. None of these creators subscribe to the “daily or weekly content” rule, but because their videos are so carefully and creatively put together they do not need to. Viewers know they can rely on enjoying whatever they publish and so tune in whenever one pops up. Although Twitch is a whole other demon in terms of growing your channel, most creators acknowledge that discoverability on Twitch is awful, and so to grow your following on Twitch you need to post to other social media channels. So the same can be applied for streaming – you do not need to be live 8 hours a day, 6 days a week to grow. A steady output of content on other platforms that you have loved and cared for can lead to more growth than you could ever possibly gain from constantly streaming on Twitch. Slow, well made content that you enjoy is often much more effective than simply pumping out more and more content hoping that it gets picked up by the algorithm.
Additionally, there are barriers for disabled people to even enter into content creation, starting at finding opportunities. Social media, particularly X (formerly Twitter), is a huge platform of communication between influencer managers and their audience or creators. However, if that communication is not accessible from the outset, this already excludes disabled creators from even participating. For example, if a company posts an image calling for people to submit themselves for game keys or campaigns, if that image doesn’t have ALT text (alternative text describes an image, which can help visually impaired people understand what the image shows) a visually impaired person will miss out on an opportunity. The same could be said for competition announcement videos without captions, someone who is D/deaf or hearing impaired would be unable to have access to this information, and access is key to inclusion.
There are also barriers for disabled creators in the offline world, networking being one of them. Particularly in the UK games industry, networking holds a huge amount of importance for working in this space, possibly being the make or break of whether you get a job or paid campaign. Often, gaming conventions are touted as an amazing way to network and meet people within the industry, however, there are hurdles to even attending these events.
To get to a convention centre can take a considerable amount of planning and energy for disabled people. You have to consider transport, public or individual. If individual, you have to possibly account for how far away you will have to park and the energy it will take to walk across or navigate the car park. If you plan to take a train, you have to call in advance to get aid from access staff (and then put all your hope in that access staff definitely being there to help you). You also have to account for the possibility of navigating changes between trains or buses – are there stairs, is the layout easy to understand, will you be able to receive help if you need it?
Once you make it there, you have to account for whether you need to stand for long periods of time in a queue or whether there is a disabled entrance. Will you be able to communicate with staff to receive instructions? When you finally make it inside you need to assess the environment and whether it will contribute to overstimulation, or whether there is enough space to use any necessary aids. From there, the networking can finally begin, but even then disabled people may have to spend even more energy evaluating social cues, masking, navigating ways of communicating, or overcoming anxiety. For disabled people, everything has an extra layer to it, meaning there is so much that can prevent a disabled creator from making sustainable and meaningful connections with the wonderful people at games companies. These obstacles also do not account for the intersectionality of disability. For non-white, non-cis, and non-straight creators, there are further systemic problems that arise within the games industry that is mostly made up of white, cisgender, able-bodied men.
With all this considered, this can all potentially lead to less sponsored work and therefore less of a sustainable income for a disabled creator, especially as the majority of sponsored jobs within the UK gaming industry are arguably gained through contacts and networking, rather than due to numbers as is often seen in the US.
However, if a disabled content creator does make it past all these hurdles, and is able to make that connection with a company and is very wonderfully invited to PR events, or paid as part of a marketing campaign, it comes with further metaphorical roadblocks. For example, PR packages often come in very large boxes sealed with packing tape, making it difficult for people who may have reduced strength in their arms to lift, or if an individual struggles with motor control, undoing the tape can be a logistical nightmare without aid from a third-party. Similarly to conventions, PR events are often held in venues with a lack of wheelchair access, can sometimes be set with low lighting, can require a lot of physical exertion, and a lot of social interaction, all which can cause issues for people with various disabilities.
With all this said, there are so many ways games companies could extend their marketing campaigns to be more inclusive of disabled people. Additionally, I do not think that any disabled person expects absolute perfection in terms of accessibility, it would be amazing and the ideal, but the disabled community has a lot of understanding for effort and outreach being made.
There are a whole range of actions companies can take to make content creation more accessible and inclusive for disabled creators. For example, covering travel costs of travel to your PR events can help disabled people access the event as, on average, disabled households spend an average of £975 more per month than households with no disabled inhabitants. Living as a disabled person can be decidedly more expensive, and so offsetting that cost can be incredibly helpful in balancing the extra expenses for disabled people. Also, the added plus of actions like this, is that they do not solely benefit the disabled community, but also other marginalised folks. For instance, covering costs of travel can help those that live further from major cities, people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, carers, and people with children.
As well as covering travel, to make PR and networking events more accessible and inclusive, companies can ensure the venue is wheelchair accessible and step-free, but also considering situations like lighting and noise level. If the event will be crowded and brightly and colourfully lit, a separate quiet, calm area for people that experience overstimulation is a great accommodation. If the event is catered, have food available for different dietary requirements, but also for different ranges of mobility. For example, some people may find holding cutlery difficult, so finger food could be an option, or ensuring there are places to eat from plates. Also, in terms of drinks, some disabled people are unable to consume alcohol, high-sugar or caffeinated beverages, so ensuring there are alternatives for that can also be extremely helpful and means creators are able to fully enjoy an event. As a plus, things like this also help non-disabled people who follow different diets for personal or religious reasons, and also creators who do not drink.
Making PR packaging accessible with pull tabs and alternatives to packing tape, means disabled people who have less dexterity or strength in their hands or arms can open packages safely and unaided. Also, sending a follow up email alongside PR packages with details of what is inside can be helpful to people with low vision as they now have a description of the contents ahead of time if they wish.
Online events are also a great way to include disabled people. Leaving the house can be difficult for a multitude of reasons for disabled people. Whether that be the issues with public transport, expenses, pain, or finding socialising difficult, so online events mean creators can attend from a comfortable, familiar space. These can look like panels, remote game play previews, masterclasses, or behind-the-scenes of a game. All of these can be as interactive or as laid back as an individual wants, allowing individuals to have their own experience that suits them best.
Reaching out to disabled creators who may have lower metrics, but have a huge amount of passion for a game can give disabled creators the equity we often need when we cannot participate in the “grind culture”. There are so many systemic and health-related reasons why disabled creators may not be able to stream as much as non-disabled creators, and are unable to keep a consistent schedule, affecting numbers when algorithms prioritise constant and steady content. So this outreach to passionate creators, as opposed to big creators, can be both beneficial for disabled content creators, but also from a business standpoint. It is so much more beneficial to have someone providing coverage that loves your product or game, as audiences can see when someone truly loves what they are talking about or playing.
Lastly, and possibly most importantly, asking individuals for any access needs they may have ahead of time. Again, disability is so diverse that no two disabled people will experience disability the same, and so asking an individual’s needs can go such a long way. Individuals themselves will know what is best for them and what they need to be fully involved and enjoy an event, and it also means a lot from a community perspective. The disabled community, particularly in gaming, is very community-focused and so being an ally to that can make all the difference in a disabled creator being able to “make it” in this space.
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