GameWerks makes inclusive pinball controllers

Pinball is a nostalgic arcade game played all over the world. But the standard design of most machines makes it difficult, if not impossible, for people with mobility issues to get in on the fun.

A group of Colorado entrepreneurs wants to change that.

Six friends have invented a controller that can be hooked into a pinball machine to make the game more accessible to people with disabilities, injuries or other physical challenges. Their small hexagonal-shaped device features three round buttons on one side, which a player can use to launch the ball and control the flippers, instead of using the buttons on the machine itself.

Their startup, called Inclusive GameWerks, has produced around 50 controllers since launching roughly a year ago. They’re in use at a handful of Colorado breweries, as well as at several medical facilities, including Children’s Hospital Colorado; some pinball enthusiasts even use them on their personal machines at home.

The six founders — Zack Christofferson, Alysha Christofferson, Joe Haenn, Erin Jacobsen, Dean Edmundson and Cheryl Edmundson — all have ties to Colorado’s craft beer industry, so it’s only fitting that they came up with the idea over beers.

The friends were hanging out one evening at Haenn and Jacobsen’s house, which has a pinball machine in the basement. At some point, Zack Christofferson mentioned that he couldn’t play because he can’t reach the buttons on the machine.

Zack Christofferson, who co-owns Denver’s Chain Reaction Brewing, has spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic condition that affects his muscles and nerves and requires him to use a power wheelchair full-time.

Almost immediately, the group sprang into action and began brainstorming ways to make the game more accessible. After a bit of imagining and tinkering, they built a prototype using a home-bent piece of plexiglass.

And it worked. Zack Christofferson was able to hold the controller in his lap while sitting in his wheelchair and play pinball, something he’d never been able to do before. Now, he plays all the time.

“It’s bigger than just a game of pinball,” he said. “The controller is expanding people’s worlds. Personally, I’ve found something that is fun, I can do with my kids, I can do with my wife, I can do alone, I can do when I’m happy or when I’m stressed.”

The group applied for and was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Colorado Disability Funding Committee, which supports new and innovative programs that could benefit the state’s disability community. This funding allowed them to continue developing the controller and, ultimately, put it out into the world.

Today, the group works with a Colorado company called 5280 Makers to 3D-print the controller’s shell, which comes in an array of different colors. Then, they get together to assemble the interior wiring and buttons.

In addition to the controller itself, the Inclusive GameWerks team also created a special harness that hooks into a pinball machine’s circuitry and allows the controller to be connected, according to Alysha Christofferson. The controller doesn’t override the machine’s built-in buttons, so two or more people can still play together on the same machine, even if one person is using the controller.

The controller’s hexagonal shape means a player can turn it in any direction based on their needs and still hold it comfortably, she adds. Some players, such as those who use wheelchairs, hold the controller in both hands and press the buttons with their thumbs while seated. Individuals with one arm may place it atop the pinball machine and press the buttons with the fingers on one hand. People with arthritis, which can make bending their fingers difficult, can use their knuckles.

Kids also like the controller because their shorter wingspan can make it challenging to reach the buttons on either side of the pinball machine. And people with back issues, who may have trouble standing and leaning over a pinball machine, can use it to play while sitting in a chair.

And that’s just the standard controller: Inclusive GameWerks is also creating custom options to meet a user’s specific needs.

“Everybody can play, it’s completely inclusive,” said Alysha Christofferson. “We want anybody, whether at their house or out and about, to have the choice of whether they want to play or not.”

Pinball is a nostalgic arcade game played all over the world. But the standard design of most machines makes it difficult, if not impossible, for people with mobility issues to get in on the fun.

A group of Colorado entrepreneurs wants to change that.

Six friends have invented a controller that can be hooked into a pinball machine to make the game more accessible to people with disabilities, injuries or other physical challenges. Their small hexagonal-shaped device features three round buttons on one side, which a player can use to launch the ball and control the flippers, instead of using the buttons on the machine itself.

Their startup, called Inclusive GameWerks, has produced around 50 controllers since launching roughly a year ago. They’re in use at a handful of Colorado breweries, as well as at several medical facilities, including Children’s Hospital Colorado; some pinball enthusiasts even use them on their personal machines at home.

The six founders — Zack Christofferson, Alysha Christofferson, Joe Haenn, Erin Jacobsen, Dean Edmundson and Cheryl Edmundson — all have ties to Colorado’s craft beer industry, so it’s only fitting that they came up with the idea over beers.

The friends were hanging out one evening at Haenn and Jacobsen’s house, which has a pinball machine in the basement. At some point, Zack Christofferson mentioned that he couldn’t play because he can’t reach the buttons on the machine.

Zack Christofferson, who co-owns Denver’s Chain Reaction Brewing, has spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic condition that affects his muscles and nerves and requires him to use a power wheelchair full-time.

Almost immediately, the group sprang into action and began brainstorming ways to make the game more accessible. After a bit of imagining and tinkering, they built a prototype using a home-bent piece of plexiglass.

And it worked. Zack Christofferson was able to hold the controller in his lap while sitting in his wheelchair and play pinball, something he’d never been able to do before. Now, he plays all the time.

“It’s bigger than just a game of pinball,” he said. “The controller is expanding people’s worlds. Personally, I’ve found something that is fun, I can do with my kids, I can do with my wife, I can do alone, I can do when I’m happy or when I’m stressed.”

The group applied for and was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Colorado Disability Funding Committee, which supports new and innovative programs that could benefit the state’s disability community. This funding allowed them to continue developing the controller and, ultimately, put it out into the world.

Today, the group works with a Colorado company called 5280 Makers to 3D-print the controller’s shell, which comes in an array of different colors. Then, they get together to assemble the interior wiring and buttons.

In addition to the controller itself, the Inclusive GameWerks team also created a special harness that hooks into a pinball machine’s circuitry and allows the controller to be connected, according to Alysha Christofferson. The controller doesn’t override the machine’s built-in buttons, so two or more people can still play together on the same machine, even if one person is using the controller.

The controller’s hexagonal shape means a player can turn it in any direction based on their needs and still hold it comfortably, she adds. Some players, such as those who use wheelchairs, hold the controller in both hands and press the buttons with their thumbs while seated. Individuals with one arm may place it atop the pinball machine and press the buttons with the fingers on one hand. People with arthritis, which can make bending their fingers difficult, can use their knuckles.

Kids also like the controller because their shorter wingspan can make it challenging to reach the buttons on either side of the pinball machine. And people with back issues, who may have trouble standing and leaning over a pinball machine, can use it to play while sitting in a chair.

And that’s just the standard controller: Inclusive GameWerks is also creating custom options to meet a user’s specific needs.

“Everybody can play, it’s completely inclusive,” said Alysha Christofferson. “We want anybody, whether at their house or out and about, to have the choice of whether they want to play or not.”