Visually impaired man Mathew Allcock, of Lakenheath, wins GAconf advocacy award for accessibility in gaming

A visually impaired Suffolk man is over the moon after winning an advocacy award for accessibility in gaming.

Mathew Allcock, of Lakenheath, is partially sighted and has spent the last few years working in the gaming industry to make games more accessible for disabled people and improve visual accessibility.

The 32-year-old couldn’t believe it when he found out last week he had won in the advocacy category at the GAconf awards, which is given to an advocate who used their voice to make a difference in the gaming industry.

“I didn’t in a million years think I’d win it so I was just in pure shock,” he said.

“I was up against some big names and I was just happy to be nominated. To then win it, I felt over the moon.

“It’s been years of hard work so to go from strength to strength and now achieve this was such an unreal feeling and a real pinch me moment.”

Mathew was born totally blind. As he got older his vision improved but his nystagmus (an involuntary eye movement condition) became more prevalent.

The nystagmus causes his pupils to wobble which also causes his head to wobble, which is why Mathew goes by the name The Wobbly Gamer.

In 2017, he found his vision was getting worse and he started advocating for accessibility in video games.

Six years later, he went full time as a freelance accessibility consultant and content creator.

Mathew has done talks at international conferences and worked on video games such as FIFA where he has been credited on EAFC 24 and 25.

“The whole thing I do now honestly started off as a selfish pursuit as I wanted to play FIFA with my friends even if I was blind,” he said.

“But I’ve now been given the chance to provide feedback on how to make the game more playable for disabled people.

“When I find out that someone can play a game, because of a difference I made, that’s what makes this job worth it, as so many people can feel left out or excluded. So the fact I can help out is a great feeling.”

Mathew, who used to work as an assistant general manager at the Riverside Hotel in Mildenhall, has praised his wife Hayley, his family, and friends in the gaming community for all their support.

“My wife is definitely my biggest superpower without a doubt,” he said.

“She encouraged me to give The Wobbly Gamer a go and has just been absolutely brilliant to me and our son.”

Hayley, who has been with Mathew for 10 years, added: “It may have taken over my living room, but his passion and drive is so admirable.

“It’s amazing to see him doing something he loves and is truly happy with.”