Playing disabled

I mentioned yesterday that I've still been able to play games despite my elbow injury. My hand is free and works just fine. The only real problem with an Xbox or PlayStation controller is that, because my elbow is immobilized, I have to sort of twist in my seat in order to bring my hands close enough to hold the controller. But it doesn't impact my ability to play the games, as far as I can tell.

Oddly, the only system I'm struggling with is the one allegedly for non-gamers, the Nintendo Wii. The Wiimote-nunchuk setup has one big advantage -- the cord that attaches them is long enough that I don't have to contort myself in order to hold everything. But it also has one big disadvantage, and that's motion control.

I've been playing No More Heroes 2, which controls like an ordinary third-person action-adventure in most respects: move with the analog stick, attack with the A button, target with the Z button. But because it's a Wii game, there are of course mandatory motion-controlled moves, and I'm finding them impossible to do. Specifically, Travis Touchdown can do pro-wrestling-style finishing moves to his opponents, which are both devastating and hilarious to watch. To do so requires quick movement of both the remote and the nunchuk -- move them both upward, say, or move them apart quickly.

Well, this is out of the question for me. I've always found the motion sensitivity of the nunchuk to be a little hinky anyway, and without the ability to really whip it in the right direction, it's all but useless. This has resulted, sadly, in Travis diving at his opponents, missing, and ending up sprawled on the ground. I can at least perform the more common, remote-only motion controls with my right hand.

I will eventually recover, but this has made me think about the plight of disabled gamers. Game inputs can be either complex and intricate, as on modern-gen game pads, or they might require strong, gross movements, as with the Wii or with peripheral-based games like Rock Band. Imagine being physically unable to play a game, or a whole genre, because the controllers don't account for your existence.

Has anybody out there had to cope with a physical disability in order to play games? I'd love to hear about it.