AbleGamers Community Feature: SkizzleTheWicked

For this month’s AbleGamers Community Feature, we wanted to do something a little different, so we handed the mic right to our community member, Ronnie. Ronnie has a story worth sharing straight from his heart, and we let him do just that.

My name is Ronnie. I go by SkizzleTheWicked and Skizzle4AbleGamers on Twitch. Everyone just calls me Skizzle.

I like to say it was fate that brought me to AbleGamers; back in 2014, I was scrolling through my Facebook feed when I came across an article shared by a fellow gaming friend. It was about a charity that raised an amazing amount of money at PAX East. So, I clicked on the article and what I found blew my mind! I found AbleGamers! I couldn’t believe there was a charity like this out there. I instantly had to know everything I could about AG, as I could relate on so many personal levels. I was born blind in my left eye and deaf in my left ear. My younger brother, Robert, was born physically disabled with Congenital Sensory Neuropathy and Scoliosis. Growing up we bonded over gaming. We spent many hours having fun and playing video games together. Looking back, I wish we had AbleGamers back then!

I current have 2 favorite games to stream — Dead by Daylight and Sea of Thieves — for different reasons. With Sea of Thieves, I love how it can be a relaxing game.Yes, it is a pirate game, and at times it can get frustrating when another crew comes through and blows up your ship and steals your hard-earned loot, but the whole vibe of the game can be very relaxing. Just gather up some friends and set sail on the open seas! Rare surely made a beautiful and fun game! Now, with Dead by Daylight, I enjoy the whole survival/hunting aspects of the game.  With its perk system, the challenge is outwitting opponents whether it be surviving to escape the match or hunting down the four survivors. It can be challenging, and I love that about the game. Each match is different and hugely unique.

I got into streaming back when Black Ops 2 came out. They had an in-game feature where you could stream straight from your console. When it would work, I would stream some of my friends and I playing the game. Then on May 2nd, 2014 (11 days after discovering AbleGamers), my brother Robert passed away after being hit by a car while he was riding in his motorized wheelchair. That day, I decided I had to do something in his honor. So I contacted AG about doing a 24-hour live stream in his honor. After 3 years of doing 1 stream a year, I wanted to branch out. I enjoyed streaming so much, I started a new personal channel and that has brought me to where I am today.

I hope to continue to grow my channel, to be able to reach a bigger audience and share my passion for AbleGamers — to share with others what they do. Everyone knows someone with a disability of some sort. I want to reach them. I’ve met people that were in such awe, like I first was, that a charity like this exists. Growing on Twitch can be hit or miss; it’s been a slow grind, but I won’t let that keep me down.

I hope that those who have found my small little corner of Twitch, have had some fun with me. It’s an honor that out of the thousands and thousands out there, they stopped by my channel!   It’s all about being yourself and having fun. And that’s who I am, I’m just me!

The best advice I can give is to not let anything stand in your way. If you want to get into streaming — then pursue it! The tools are out there. Don’t let your disability hold you back! Use it as motivation to show the world that if you can do it, so can they! Believe in yourself, you might just be surprised.