I like video games. That’s not a very unique statement, but when you have kids it’s always fun to imagine sharing the things you like as parents with them. And it’s nice to have options like the Xbox Adaptive Controller out there to keep those fun possibilities within reach for our kids who do things a little differently

Essentially, this device lets you connect external adaptive components and assign functions to them for every button on a standard controller.

But why should all of that matter to me now? I have two kids, the oldest is barely into video games and her younger brother with special needs is barely old enough to be interested.

It matters because it opens up the possibility that when my son is ready to play games with myself and his sister, we know how to make that happen. It’s not a frustrating void of yet another thing that is not adapted for everyone to enjoy. Too many experiences – from playgrounds to school entrances, carnivals, and even random things like apple orchards – are not fully accessible and feel like they have an invisible “no” sign held up for kids with special needs. And that takes away from the parent experience as well.

Another important reason that having an adaptive controller is exciting for me is that it will also allow my daughter to play games with her brother when she wants to. As much as I enjoy playing video games, there’s nothing like the experience of siblings playing them with each other. She’s too young now, but there will definitely be a time when a certain “lame factor” will creep into her playing with her dad. It’s comforting to think of all the fun they can have together because the work was done to give my son the option to play.

A video game controller may seem like a small, insignificant thing. But knowing this product is out there makes me smile and gives me a lot of fun possibilities to look forward to.