We Are Overjoyed About Accessible Gaming on Rare Disease Day!

Millis, Mass. Feb. 28, 2025 - Today marks Rare Disease Day, a global movement aimed at bringing awareness as well as access to diagnosis and treatment to the more than 300 million people worldwide living with rare diseases. Individuals with rare diseases often suffer from loneliness and a lack of social connections. To help the rare disease community enjoy the entertainment that they love and find meaningful social connections and friendships, Our Odyssey (a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting young adults living with rare or chronic conditions) created the Overjoyed Accessible Gaming software. Overjoyed Accessible Gaming is a personal computer app that enables individuals with limited dexterity or mobility to enjoy their favorite video games through a highly customizable virtual interface. Using only a mouse or eye tracking hardware, Overjoyed Accessible Gaming enables full gameplay of titles across a wide range of platforms including PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Cloud Gaming and PlayStation Plus Premium. The highly customizable interface means that users with a wide range of limitations can find a control solution that is comfortable and effective for almost any game. Support for the Nintendo Switch is made possible through a partnership with 8Bitdo and a special version of their Micro Adapter. Thanks to the Our Odyssey community, a wide range of game-specific presets for Overjoyed Accessible Gaming are available for use, allowing anyone to easily begin playing and enjoying their favorite games. Overjoyed Accessible Gaming is available for purchase or gifting for $5 through the Microsoft Store or Our Odyssey official site. "As an individual with a physical limitation, I used to be extremely limited to what games I could play due to the difficult controls. Thanks to Overjoyed, now I'm free! Gaming with Overjoyed has meant more than you can imagine, because it has provided me with such a positive social outlet! I finally have the opportunity to really explore all types of games without being concerned if the controls will work for me or not. Now it's just a matter of how much gaming I can fit into a day!" - Parker (aka Glitter), living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Beyond enabling gameplay with a wide range of titles, Overjoyed Accessible Gaming opens doors for individuals with a disability to find and enjoy new opportunities for social interaction that would otherwise be inaccessible to them. Our Odyssey hosts regular virtual social meet-ups where those living with a rare or chronic condition can enjoy gameplay and conversation with one another. Our Odyssey uses the proceeds from Overjoyed Accessible Gaming to continue to improve the app and extend their outreach into new communities. Anyone can make a donation to support Overjoyed Accessible Gaming on the Our Odyssey official site. For every $100 raised, Our Odyssey will gift a copy of Overjoyed Accessible Gaming to one of the many adaptive tech lending libraries in the United States. Stay up to date on Our Odyssey and Overjoyed Accessible Gaming by following them on Instagram, Twitch and Facebook. For interview requests or more information on Overjoyed Accessible Gaming, please contact hello@neveraminute.com. About Our Odyssey There are millions of young adults 18 and older who are impacted by a rare or chronic condition. Unfortunately, the unmet needs of young adults are often overlooked by the health community. Our Odyssey was created by young adults who spent years searching for empowerment, belonging, inclusivity, connection, and hope. The mission was built on these values to drive the approach in providing this unmet need for young adults in the rare and chronic communities. Our Odyssey, a nonprofit organization founded in 2019, has been actively focused on the mission of connecting young adults impacted by a rare or chronic condition with social and emotional support. Our Odyssey creates a space for young adults to connect, learn, and build a network of support with people who simply get it..