Japan eSports players with disabilities shoot down stereotypes

‘Epara’ enthusiast Shunya Hatakeyama practices video games at his home in Shiwa, Iwate Prefecture. Hatakeyama has muscular dystrophy so uses his chin to launch devastating combos. He is not the only Japanese gamer proving that disability is no barrier in eSports. — AFP

TOKYO: Street Fighter player Shunya Hatakeyama has muscular dystrophy, so he uses his chin to launch devastating combos. He is not the only Japanese gamer proving that disability is no barrier in eSports.

Naoya Kitamura, who is blind and relies on sound to play beat ‘em up game Tekken 7, also hopes that his skills in a billion-dollar industry will help make society more open-minded.