Blind Streamer is a Mortal Kombat Master, Stands for Gamers with Disabilities

Carlos Vasquez is a gamer and streamer from Texas who excels at the fighting game Mortal Kombat despite being blind. He relies entirely on sound to time punches, kicks and dodges and plays at a professional level. Not only is he an expert in MKX but also a twitch streamer and a member of a choir.

'You have two characters across the screen fighting each other, left and right, and you just have to memorize the buttons.' - Vasquez

The simplicity motivated Carlos to start playing Mortal Kombat despite being unable to see anything going on. 

Carlos serves as an inspiration to many people with disabilities and is one of the voices shouting for attention in the gaming community. Disabled people have been neglected long enough in this industry and players like Carlos are living proof that there is a need for action.

According to WHO, there are over 1 billion people with disabilities worldwide. That’s one in every seven people! Games have always lacked accessibility to make things fair and give even people with disabilities a chance to excel. 

Carlos had such a huge impact on the game that the maker of Mortal Kombat, NetherRealm Studios owned by Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment took notice of him. They decided to add audio cues to help blind gamers identify objects that they can interact with in the game.

These steps are essential to make sure that everyone can enjoy the games they like and have fun even with disabilities. Modern gaming is finally hearing their voices and adding accessibility features for people who are blind, deaf, mute, and more.