E-Sports, competitive video gaming, has become a multi-billion dollar industry. Global companies and traditional professional sports leagues like ESPN, Disney and the NBA getting in on the action. Millions of people worldwide attend tournaments in sold-out stadiums and watch live streams of the action. Serious gamers can become stars earning seven-figure salaries and lucrative brand endorsements – just like professional athletes in more traditional sports.
Dr. David Putrino is the Director of Rehabilitation Innovation for the Mount Sinai Health System, and the “Chief Mad Scientist” of Not Impossible Labs. He is always looking for new ways to use technology for the greater good. His next project? Developing a competitive e-Sports team whose members will all be quadriplegic gamers willing to take on challengers of all abilities
E-Sports and Adaptive Gaming
Team captain, Chris Scott, was the inspiration for the e-Sports team. A former skydiving instructor and accomplished athlete, Chris became quadriplegic as a result of a skydiving accident in 2014.
“Chris came to my lab looking a purpose and I learned quickly that he was a pretty amazing and passionate gamer,” Dr. Putrino confided. “Although he is a quad, he uses a special device called a quad stick to control his computer during gaming. It didn’t take long for me to realize what we had to do: create the world’s first adaptive e-Sports team, captained by Chris. We’re going to pull together a team from the New York City spinal cord injury community. They’re all going to be quads, and we’re going to train them.”
Become a Team Member
For more information and to learn how you can become a team member, contact Dr. Putrino at david.putrino@mountsinai.org
