It’s the 21st century, and it’s about time that everyone had proper representation through their digital avatars. Yeah I’m being a little cheeky, but this is something that people do care very deeply about. For many, their online identities are very much a part of who they are, and their digital representatives often act as the medium through which they conduct the majority of their social interactions with others. It’s for that reason that having an avatar that properly conveys who are you can be both fun and gratifying. Of course, if you require a wheelchair, then it may be a bit awkward to see your avatar up and walking around day-in and day-out.
Seamus Blackley (@SeamusBlackley) brought up the issue, tweeting to Phil Spencer: “…depending on how skeletons are done on avatars, wheelchairs might be relatively simple and the #rightthing.” Pretty soon another Twitter user chimed in, encouraging Blackley to start a petition. That’s where Phil Spencer himself stepped in, saying, “No petition needed, we hear you. This is something that we’ve already looked at, not far off.” Designer Mike Ybarra followed up with a sneak peak of the new avatars (pictured above), who also seem have undergone a complete overhaul. When exactly this update is expected to roll out (I had to) is unclear, but we’d expect sooner than later.
Source: Polygon