It feels like every man and his dog has been hanging out for the latest Xbox Series X – and Humphrey Hanley and his beloved Siberian Husky, Whisky, are the perfect example. We love working with Humphrey, known to gamers everywhere as No Hands NZ, who you might have seen in 2018 talking about his experiences gaming without hands in Special controller changes lives of accessibility citizens in online gaming on TV’s Seven Sharp.
To mark the local launch of the Xbox Adaptive Controller, Xbox NZ worked with Kiwi ‘motivational streamer’ Humphrey Hanley. Humphrey has the rare skin-blistering condition epidermyolsis bullosa (EB), which means he has to spend four hours every morning bandaging his skin before he can start the day. Bullied at school, he found his fun in the PC gaming realm – he broadcasts to others online under the username NoHandsNZ.
As 2020 draws to a close, many will reflect on 12 months defined by stress, upheaval, and the urgent need to confront some difficult truths about the way the games industry operates, and the myriad ways it can be a better and more inclusive place.
But just as that process of self-examination is necessary, so too is recognition for those already working to solve those problems. In this GI 100 series we will profile 100 individuals and organisations making progress in vital areas like diversity, accessibility, charity, mental health, progressive politics, lifting emerging markets, uniting communities, and more people whose stories can show us how this industry can be that better and more inclusive place.
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Humphrey Hanley lives with epidermolysis bullosa, but hasn’t let that stop him making a mark in the online gaming world.
Humphrey Hanley is a man of many talents. He owns a photography and videography business, he’s a successful and popular streamer on Twitch, and featured as a keynote speaker at a range of tech events. He also has no hands. Which is the inspiration behind the name of his business, No Hands No Excuses, and his online moniker, NoHandsNZ. Hanley lives with the condition epidermolysis bullosa, which can cause his skin to break down at the slightest bit of contact.