A Young Gamer Gets the Hero’s Treatment in This Endearing Ad for Microsoft’s Adaptive Controller

When was the last time you felt the rush of finally mastering the big boss level of a video game with the enthusiastic support of your friends? It’s an exhilarating feeling that only a fraction of us really understand because the experience has often been out of reach for those who don’t fit the paradigm of the erroneously touted “typical gamer” (meaning white, able-bodied, and male). Little by little, however, the video game industry has been working to close the gap between marginalized gamers and the full community experience of their products. To make their games more accessible, Microsoft released the Xbox Adaptive Controller this past September, which was designed primarily to meet the needs of gamers with limited mobility. For the holidays, the tech giant partnered with creative agency M:united//McCann for an endearing short that shows the power and joy of inclusion. [kickout id="1"] The 60-second film, “Reindeer Games,” features Owen Simmons, a 9-year-old gamer living with Escobar Syndrome. As Owen steadily descends upon a major gaming achievement, word quickly spreads around the block. Buzzing with excitement, the neighborhood children rush to Owen’s side to witness a victory that was likely long fought and hold back nothing as they celebrate his win. As they dance and cheer, the spirit of the ad is captured in an overlaying tagline: “When everybody plays, we all win.” Microsoft conferred with its internal accessibility team and an American Disability Act expert to ensure authenticity and that the story was told appropriately. The ad encapsulates the intended fun of gaming by showing what it means to the people who play them—an immersive bonding experience as well as a chance for anyone to be a local hero, even if that instance is wrapped in fantasy. It can ring especially true over the holidays when friends and family come together to spend precious time with each other. These moments should be available to everyone, and with steps like these, Microsoft is part of a growing community that is working to make that a reality for everyone. [kickout id="2"] The ad will launch on NBC during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 22. CREDITS: Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Brand, Advertising and Research: Kathleen Hall GM, Global Advertising: Deana Singleton Director of Global Advertising: Stacey Terrien Director of Global Advertising, Social and Media Partnerships: Jenny Leahy Senior Advertising Manager: Ron Schott Senior Advertising Manager: Dawn Novak Advertising Manager: Hannah Westing Senior Manager Marketing Communications: Veronica Mao m:united//McCann New York Chief Creative Officer: Sean Bryan EVP, Executive Creative Director: Shayne Millington EVP, Executive Creative Director: David Banta SVP, Group Creative Director: Sherrod Melvin Associate Creative Director: Martha West Associate Creative Director: Will Montgomery Senior Art Director: Julie Koong Senior Copywriter: David Cappolino Leadership Global Business Lead: Kevin Nelson Account EVP, Executive Account Director: Tina Galley SVP, Group Account Director: Rosemary Calderone Account Director: Pat Six Account Supervisor: Alex Cho Account Supervisor: Kyle Ross Production SVP, Head of Integrated Production: Carolyn Johnson Producer: Rebecca Magner Project Management SVP, Director of Project Management: Stella Warkman Project Manager: Jessica Jacobson Business Affairs Executive Vice President: Danielle Korn SVP, Executive Music Producer: Eric Johnson Music Business Manager: Sam Belkin Music Producer: Dan Gross Strategy EVP, Global Strategy Director: Joanna Schwab SVP, Group Strategy Director: Eldad Heilweil Production: Hungry Man Director: Bryan Buckley Managing Partner/Executive Producer: Kevin Byrne Producer/Director of Sales: Dan Duffy Executive Producer: Mino Jarjoura Producer: Matt Lefebvre Editorial: Rock Paper Scissors Editor: Damion Clayton Assistant: Michael Shugarman Executive Producer: Eve Kornblum Producer: Jenny Greenfield Post/VFX: The Mill Executive Producer: Anastasia von Rahl Senior VFX Producer: Michael Theurer Production Coordinator: Ariana Govan Shoot Supervisors: Tara DeMarco & Jason Monroe Chief Creative Officer: Phil Crowe 2D Lead Artist: Daniel Thuresson 2D Artists: Evan Langley, Greg VanZyl, Roxy Zuckerman, Tim Crabtree, & Stephen Paragone 3D Artists: Chris Storniolo, Phil Mayer, Michael Lori, Danny Garcia, Abhishek Kumar, Ayush Bajoria, Fazal Khan, Ganesh Lamkhade, Giri Prasath S, Karthik Viswanathan, Raj Kumar M, Rajan Ramakrishna, Rijo R, Sathyaraj A, Spandana Battula, Sunil MM, Tarun Kemtur Matte Painting: Gillian George, Andy Wheater, Itai Muller Colorist: Adam Scott Executive Producer, Color: Linda Jackson Color Producers: Liza Kerlin & Diane Valera Production Coordinator, Color: Jessica Amburgey Color Assist: Gemma Parr, Logan Highlen, & Zack Wilpon Music: JSM CCO/Co-Composer: Joel Simon Co-Composer: Nathaniel Morgan Co-Composer: Seamus Kilmartin Executive Producer: Jeff Fiorello Producers: Norm Felker & Andrew Manning Audio/Post: Sonic Union Sound Designer/Mix Engineer: Michael Marinelli Producer: Patrick Sullivan