Boss game


Special Olympics athletes are upping their representation in esports
Foreground: a woman and a man sit smiling on a bed in an experiential Minecraft gaming environment while another man stands on the right next to them. Background: two screens behind the sitting people with one that says “Minecraft” and the walls are made to look like the Minecraft “building-block” aesthetic.

Special Olympics is a massive part of Ben Gregory’s life. He’s happy to show you the tattoo of the organization’s logo on his left shoulder that proves his dedication. For nearly two decades, Ben has traveled from his hometown in west central Indiana to compete in basketball, swimming, golf, and bowling. He has also given back as a coach and mentor.

Ben’s all-around skills landed him a spot in a two-day workshop at Xbox Studios in Redmond, WA, along with two other Special Olympics athletes, Amber Gertsch from Utah, and Jose Moreno Jr. from Illinois.

The athletes worked with esports pros to develop their shoutcasting, or play-by-play commentary skills, in preparation for the second annual Special Olympics Gaming for Inclusion event. Their participation ushers in a broader representation of people with intellectual disabilities in the rapidly growing gaming universe.

View their livestream from September 17 on the official Twitch channel for the Celebrity Showcase that featured pro tennis athlete Coco Gauff

The Gaming for Inclusion 2022 event, which took place on September 10, brought together Special Olympics athletes and others to compete in Rocket League on Xbox and PC for the chance to participate in the Celebrity Showcase. The showcase featured NFL athletes, TikTok stars, and WWE Superstars who played alongside the athletes. Ben, Amber, and Jose hosted the livestream games and kept the audience engaged in real time. Each athlete brought a unique background to shoutcasting.

I feel like I won the lottery. This is a dream come true.
Ben Gregory

A man in a blue shirt and glasses leaning on a table in front of a wood background. 

Ben is a seasoned Twitch streamer with a knack for the technical side of casting. “I’m definitely a bit of a goof…I say that I am the best of the worst. At least I admit it. I like to have fun,” Ben said about his engagement on Twitch.

I want to open up gaming to everyone who is interested 
and show them that it doesn’t have to be exclusive in any way.
Amber Gertsch

A woman is standing and smiling on the right side of the image. She is wearing glasses and a purple shirt. In the bottom left foreground of the image, a blurry camera is visible.

Amber has participated in Special Olympics for 26 years. She is a renaissance woman, lifelong redtail falconer, teacher, volunteer, and Halo fanatic. She advocates good sportsmanship and inspires confidence in other players. “My gaming style is simply loving to play as a team. I love to learn from other players. Gaming has a way of pulling you to the next level,” Amber said.

I want to see a person with special needs working inside the broadcast booth alongside everyone else. That’s my goal, and it’s going to happen.
Jose Moreno Jr.

A man in a shirt, tie and glasses smiling broadly in the foreground of the image. The background is slightly tilted behind him where a plant and windows are visible.

Jose has been a Special Olympics athlete for 19 years, and is also a community leader, athletic mentor, and accomplished public speaker. Jose is known for being a charismatic host with a quick sense of humor. “It was really exciting because it has given me the encouragement that I never had. It was pumping me up for those goooaaallls,” Jose said about the workshop.

Two people sit wearing headphones. A man in a suit and tie sits on a couch on the left and a woman in an orange and brown top sits on the right. They have microphones in front of them. There are XBOX signs with XBOX logos behind them on a green wall.
Jose and Kate in a livestream from Xbox Studios
A person wearing glasses is sitting in front of a screen with his hands up and notepad on his lap. There are many screens behind him and to the side of him. His shirt is black and has an XBOX logo in green.
Sean teaching the mechanics of shoutcasting 
Two people sitting in chairs. One man on the left wearing a light blue shirt holds a video game controller. Another man on the left wearing a blue shirt has a microphone in front of him and is wearing headphones.
Joshua and Ben live on the official Xbox Twitch channel 
Two men sit smiling in a production set with walls made to look like the Minecraft “building-block” aesthetic.
Jose and esports coach, Mac, at Mojang

At the workshop, the three athletes paired up with pros like Xbox livestream producer and presenter Joshua Gray, former pro gamer and current shoutcaster Jon Kefaloukos, top gaming host Kate Yeager, and prominent Rocket League caster Sean “Spaceman” Rodgers.

Courses included leadership points, intro to livestreaming, shoutcasting practice, and Rocket League 101. They were also taught storytelling, interviewing, game analysis, public speaking, and improv acting.

Both days ended with visits to game studios. Day one was Mojang, the creator of Ben’s favorite game, Minecraft. Day two was 343 Industries which creates Halo—Amber’s favorite game.

Related stories