Ranking up in Overwatch is hard work at the best of times, but Masters player Tucker Griggs has battled through to the upper echelons using just his feet, and a standard keyboard and mouse. The 23-year-old has a condition called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita which means he was born without muscles in his arms, but he's overcome the challenges this presents by mastering everyday tasks, like cooking and cleaning, using his feet, as well as destroying the competition in video games.
Tucker started therapy to learn how to use his feet and toes for tasks when he was young, and describes how difficult the process was; his mum Traci supported his interest in video games, saying it "levelled the playing field" with Tucker and his friends, giving him a medium be could participate and excel in that wasn't a traditional sport like baseball, or football.
He's been playing Overwatch since 2017 and streaming gameplay along with a double webcam setup over on his Twitch channel FragsByTheFoot so viewers can watch his face as with a traditional stream format, but can also see his toe skills in action. Talking about his setup, Tucker says:
"Most disabled gamers use some kind of different special adaptation. Personally, I don't like doing that because it feels almost as if I'm getting special treatment. I prefer to play the same way as everybody else."
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Tucker uses the Razer Viper Ultimate ambidextrous wireless mouse, and Corsair K70 keyboard, and is a Reinhardt main as the character is more forgiving when it comes to aiming. Anyone who's played Overwatch will know the struggle of ranking up, and Tucker sits at Masters level, and has even beaten a Grandmaster (the top 1% bracket of players globally).
If you fancy heading over to his Twitch channel, you can catch him playing Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War, and the battle royale title Call of Duty: Warzone, as well Overwatch. He says his viewers are eager for a cooking stream so he can show off his prowess in the kitchen, so stay tuned and he might just give in to the demand!
