Skip to main content

Xbox and the Special Olympics are leading an esports ‘inclusion revolution’

The Gaming for Inclusion event is hosting its second annual tournament on September 10 and 17 in collaboration between Xbox and Special Olympics. The goal of Gaming for Inclusion is the result of multiple years of collaboration between Microsoft and the Special Olympics that dates back to 2018. The two have partnered to create numerous events, but when COVID forced so many Special Olympic events to be cancelled, a new, greater need for virtual ways for people to connect was needed.

I spoke with Special Olympics CTO Prianka Nandy and last year’s Rocket League champion Billy Seide to learn about the initiative that’s looking to expand the reach of esports to all players.

Widening esports

For Nandy, the event was a new way to bring the mission of Special Olympics to the public, especially for youth, in a new and exciting way. Aside from giving those with learning disabilities a platform to compete, connect, and learn, it also aims to break down boundaries by hosting Unified brackets where one Special Olympics athlete and one celebrity, such as a WWE wrestler or social media influencer, team up to compete together.

Seide, last year’s winner, had years of experience in competing with the Special Olympics but was fairly new to competitive gaming at the time. “I’ve been with Special Olympics since 1999 (softball basketball, bowling, floor hockey, volleyball, pentathlon — which is five events),” Seide tells Digital Trends. “I am the chairman of the active leadership Council for Special Olympics. Got into competitive gaming in 2020 … when Special Olympics New York first introduced it. And, in 2020, I just said, ‘All right, might as well go for it.'”

Three shoutcasters on couches.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Billy is a noted WWE fan and was able to team up with former superstar Ember Moon (now Athena in AEW) in last year’s competition. He practiced just by playing with friends and watching YouTube videos but admits he can’t do some of the more advanced techniques due to playing on PS4. He wasn’t sure how he’d do in the first tournament because it was his first time, but he won the Unified league where he was partnered with Moon. For Seide, the tournament was more about having fun and meeting people than winning.

Seide loves the connections this event opened up to him and encourages others to participate, saying, “You’ll meet some new friends. I mean, I met friends from Illinois last year. … It goes all around the world, so you meet new friends.”

Inclusion revolution

This year, Nandy and the team have focused the event on just one game, Rocket League, which was a favorite among the participants. However, the event is growing in terms of opportunities for more leadership roles. For example, this year, all the shoutcasters will be Special Olympics members who will get special training from Xbox.

Evolution and change have been necessary for the event, especially over the last few years. After the Covid-19 pandemic forced the organization to cancel so many of its in-person events, turning to a virtual event was needed. However, Special Olympics and Microsoft turned that limitation into a new opportunity that has set the initiative up for future success.

“Covid-19 and the suspension hundreds of thousands of annual in-person events worldwide meant Special Olympics had to pivot to supporting virtual experiences,” Nandy explained in an Xbox Wire post last month. “Our digital transformation partners at Microsoft brought their expertise in developing scalable and accessible digital platforms that allow people of all abilities to build connections with others through the universal language of gaming. Together, we’ve shaped an innovative program that will last well beyond the pandemic.”

Both Seide and Nandy have high hopes that the Gaming for Inclusion event can grow in the future. Seide wants to see more games included — such as MLB titles, Madden, and NHL Hockey — and they both hope that more local chapters of Special Olympics will start hosting more events virtually and in person. At the moment, they are focusing on scaling up to host multiple events, increase their streaming presence, and get more attention and participation. It’s all part of what Nandy terms “the Inclusion Revolution.”

A banner ad for a Gamers Unite event.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

As far as this year is concerned, Billy seems confident in his chances to win once again. “I would like to defend my title. I mean, right now, I’ve been practicing as much as I can cause I’m working at a supermarket — I’m doing that — I’m the chairman of the Athlete Leadership Council for Special Olympics New York, so I’m working with the local and the state to go over meetings and agendas, and I’ve been practicing softball. … I’m trying to do all that, so I would like to defend my title, but anything’s possible.”

The second Gaming for Inclusion event will kick off on Saturday, September 10 with the main bracket, followed by the Unified league with celebrity guests the following weekend on September 17. Everyone is encouraged to tune in to watch live on Twitch to support these athletes and help bring more awareness to a growing demand for inclusivity in gaming.

Editors' Recommendations

Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox loves writing, games, and complaining about not having time to write and play games. He knows the names of more…
Microsoft pledges to bring Xbox PC games to Nvidia GeForce Now
geforce-now-og-no-text-1200x630

Microsoft has announced a 10-year partnership with Nvidia aimed at bringing Xbox PC games to its cloud gaming service competitor Nvidia GeForce Now as part of its ongoing efforts to win over companies skeptical of its potebtial Activision Blizzard acquisition.
This means that players can use Nvidia GeForce Now to play the Steam, Epic Games Store, or Windows versions of titles like Halo Infinite, Redfall, and eventually, Call of Duty through the cloud on GeForce Now. Third-party publishers with games on the Windows Store can also now grant streaming rights to Nvidia. This announcement came during a European Commission hearing where Microsoft tried to convince regulators that its impending acquisition should bne allowed.
Microsoft has been under a lot of regulatory scrutiny even since it announced its intent to acquire Activision Blizzard in January 2022. It's trying to win over industry peers with deals like this one with Nvidia. This week, the Communications Workers of America voiced its approval of the deal, and Microsoft has signed a binding agreement to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms as well. Previously, Nvidia had raised concerns about Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition, but the press release announcing this agreement states that the deal "resolves Nvidia's concerns," and that Nvidia now gives "full support for regulatory approval of the acquisition." 
Regulatory bodies in the U.S., U.K., and Europe are worried that Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard will hurt the game industry and sabotage Microsoft's competitors in both console and cloud gaming. Nvidia GeForce Now is seen as one of the biggest competitors to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate's cloud service offerings, which makes it surprising that it reached an agreement with Nvidia. However, this deal also demonstrates how Microsoft is willing to make concessions so that its acquisition of Activision Blizzard is approved.

Read more
Xbox and Bethesda’s Developer_Direct is their most important showcase ever
A screen capture from the Redfall gameplay reveal.

Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda just announced that their first-ever Developer_Direct showcase will be held January 25, giving Microsoft footing in the game showcase space outside of events like E3 and Gamescom. After a rough year for Xbox first-party studios, this Developer_Direct will finally give us another very deep look at games like Redfall, Forza Motorsport, and Minecraft Legends, whichwill start to form its game lineup for this year, whetting our appetites for what's to come to Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Game Pass in 2023. Although the seeming lack of any brand new first-party announcement might make this Developer_Direct not feel that exciting to the average player, this is a critical showcase for Microsoft if it wants to win jaded fans back.
So far this console generation, Microsoft has been inconsistent in terms of both content and transparency about the state of its games. We've gotten a couple of exhilarating bursts of info on new upcoming exclusives at the past couple of Xbox summer showcases, and fall 2021 had a solid lineup of releases in Deathloop, Forza Horizon 5, and Halo Infinite. But these flurries of excitement are overshadowed by large droughts in terms of releases and reports that cast doubt over the state of some first-party games' development. That's why Developer_Direct will be so crucial for Microsoft. This show will allow it to refocus players on a (hopefully) more consistent release lineup and start to give fans a consistent showcase cadence to be excited for. 

The content factor
Digital Trends has done plenty of writing highlighting how 2022 was a very weak year for Microsoft. The delay of Redfall and Starfield in 2022 really ruined that year, even though Pentiment and As Dusk Falls were good games. For more mainstream gaming fans, though, Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda's 2023 looks way more exciting. Games like Redfall, Forza Motorsport, Minecraft Legends, and Starfield have 2023 release windows, while long-announced games like Senua's Sacrifice: Hellblade II, Contraband, and Avowed seem like they've been in development long enough to not be too far off. However, Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda haven't shown us how this year will be paced out in terms of releases, and players were not pleased with Microsoft's lackluster presence at The Game Awards 2022
That's the first major task of Developer_Direct. While no release dates were technically promised in its announcement, this show is a prime spot to let Xbox fans know precisely when they can get their hands on these long-awaited first-party titles. One of the most exciting parts of a Nintendo Direct is consistently seeing Nintendo's lineup for the next few months take form in real time, giving fans a bunch of neat titles to experience before the next inevitable showcase. Xbox is sorely in need of something like that, and Developer_Direct provides the perfect opportunity to do so, mainly because it seems to be focused less on the number of announcements and more on delivering info about games people are already interested in. 

Read more
Even without a big exclusive, Xbox quietly dominated 2022
The Xbox Series X controller on a black background.

Looking back on 2022 at a surface level, you might be tempted to say that Xbox had a rough year. Halo Infinite struggled to push its initial momentum, major releases like Starfield were delayed in 2023, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) moved to block Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition. All of that left Xbox players with no big ticket exclusives in 2022 and a sense that Microsoft’s plans to rectify that issue may be hitting a brick wall.

However, that would be an outdated read of the situation -- one that’s not reflective of the gaming landscape as it stands today. The truth is that big exclusive games are no longer the sole mark of a platform’s success. While that strategy is still Sony and Nintendo’s bread and butter, Microsoft’s unusual 2022 made it clear that the company is comfortable playing by its own rules.

Read more