Meet Robert Kingett

Robert Kingett2 minute read

My name is Robert Kingett and like everyone else here, I love gaming and video games.

My path to loving video games is a strange one though. Ever since I was little, way back in the old ancient time period of the 90s, I had a vested interest in video game accessibility before gaming became a much-needed outlet separate from my love of books and writing.

Gaming soon became not only just a thing to study, but a friend to clutch and never let go. I grew up in Saint Augustine, FL and attended the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. I enjoyed the community at school, but at home, that was a different story. I was abused, mentally and physically. Gaming helped to get me through some really hard nights after a domestic violence situation lead me to giving testimonies to police about, “what really happened here tonight?”

I was legally blind back then. I could see out of one eye, so was able to play almost all games if I sat very close to the TV screen. I had tunnel vision, as well, so ironically, liked my smaller 12-inch TV more than the big ones because it helped me to see the whole screen.

Sora and company were very valuable friends throughout my teen years. Also ironically, I’d like to believe I created the world’s first ever Let’s Play. I used to record special VHS guides that contained secrets and gave them to all my friends in school. Because I was very poor, I couldn’t keep making VHS walkthroughs, but it was fun while it lasted.

As I grew, so did my love of writing. Writing is a way for me to combat my speech disability. I always wanted to be a journalist, but I didn’t know the video game journalism industry was an actual thing. Nobody told me I could get paid examining trends in the industry or evaluating poor working conditions in a capitalist society that thinks games are just toys to be discarded. I didn’t understand capitalism in the way that I do now, but I’m proud to say that I’m continuing to learn and grow, just like so many people who are where I was. Angry at the system but not knowing how to point a critical finger at the system or even where to begin.

I write fiction and nonfiction but my journalism career has taken some interesting turns. My journalism work has spanned many publications. My first pro video game publication was an essay about how I played games when I had some vision. I broke the PS4 accessibility news story when Sony started adding accessibility features to their console. I’ve written for many other mainstream publications, but I always felt as if a part of me was missing. It seemed as though my particular niche of video game accessibility just wasn’t important enough for consistent placement.

Even though I’m totally blind now, I’m still gaming, even if my focus has shifted to audio games and mobile games. I became very eager to join this crew because, these fine folks will let me tackle accessibility matters in the industry, and more. I hope I won’t let you down and I also hope that you enjoy my writings on here.

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Robert
Kingett

Robert Kingett is a totally blind author that writes essays and fiction where disabled characters live normal lives. When he's not writing, he loves to listen to fiction podcasts. Visit him online at www.blindjournalist.wordpress.com

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