Gaming for Inclusion is an annual event hosted by Microsoft and Special Olympics, with a mission to create more community building and leadership opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Microsoft and Special Olympics teamed up to train three Special Olympics athletes as shoutcasters/hosts of the tournament and integrate them as on-air talent alongside the pros. We wanted to use this opportunity to encourage the esports world to adapt from the ‘norm’ and make the esports space more inclusive. The core objectives of the partnership were to create a movement led by people with intellectual disabilities, promote awareness and expand opportunities for athletes with ID in the industry, and advocate for those with ID who use gaming as a way to manage stress, combat depression, and engage in physical therapy.

The end result is ensuring that people with ID are represented in every part of esports, giving them a voice.

In September, athletes with ID from Illinois and New York traveled to Microsoft’s Experience Center in NYC for an immersive two-day training. With help from several Microsoft groups and special guests, the team curated a two-day workshop where each athlete learned and developed skills from some of the best in esports and gaming.

The skills they learned included: how to analyze a game, provide play-by-play commentary during a livestream, interview athletes and celebrity guests, and sharpen their skills on the official tournament game Rocket League. Then, our newly minted athlete shoutcasters and hosts called both the tournament and the Celebrity Showcase (both streamed live on Xbox’s Twitch channel) alongside a cast of star-studded hosts and shoutcasters.

Their growth and participation helped Microsoft prove that when we all play, we all win.

Sport is the foundation of the Special Olympics movement, and esports are literally digitizing sport as we know it. This space has the potential to help Special Olympics engage new audiences with intellectual disabilities who may have barriers to entry that other athletes don’t experience. Ensuring people with ID are in leadership positions helps people without disabilities turn from unconscious bias to conscious inclusion, changing their attitudes and behaviors to create meaningful inclusion in their teams, organizations, families and communities.

If we want more inclusive communities and an accepting world, people with ID must be allowed and encouraged to contribute in ways beyond the sports field.

Changing minds and influencing perception is always a challenge, but that was our main goal by working with Special Olympics — an organization dedicated to truly moving the needle in terms of perceptions about people with ID. Special Olympics’ involvement in esports has been approached in a very careful manner that is integrated authentically into their initiatives in sport, health, education, and athlete leadership.

Numerous media outlets covered the event and the activation, combining 88 mentions, 167 million views, and a 100% positive sentiment.

For the event livestream, over 500,000 friends and fans of Special Olympics tuned in to watch Gaming for Inclusion events on Xbox’s Twitch channel. And the campaign highlighting the Special Olympics athletes’ experience broadcasting the event got over 16.5 million social impressions with 8.5 million video views. The campaign also increased brand love among key audiences by between 16% and 22%.

Not only are we breaking down stereotypes for people with ID we are also changing mindsets of people without ID. Opening the door for three people with ID to be shoutcasters and hosts on a live broadcast ensures representation and paves the way for future shoutcasters with ID.