Bethesda fulfills a fan request for a usable wheelchair on the Fallout 76 CAMPs system in the latest Steel Dawn expansion.
Fallout 76 has been steadily gaining traction among fans since its largely ill-received release, the long-awaited Steel Dawn expansion being just the latest in a series of major free updates. The update also brought a pleasant surprise to one fan in particular, who last month asked Bethesda on Reddit to add an interactive wheelchair to Fallout 76 CAMPs.
Kelly Leunen initially described her request in a post two months ago to the Fallout 76 Reddit community. Leunen suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which makes him dependent on a wheelchair. “It would make me very happy to have that little part of me in my creations. And I think a lot of people would enjoy it too, ”he wrote. Fallout 76 contains serious aspects of role-playing games, CAMPs being one of the most important; CAMPs are player-built foundations and an element of the game where fans have great freedom of creative expression. Fortunately, the post gained enough traction to get the attention of two Bethesda employees, who volunteered to investigate it and subsequently pledged their presence in the next update.
Bethesda delivered on that promise last Tuesday when Steel Dawn launched a week earlier after an accidental Xbox launch. Leunen expressed her happiness for the update on Twitter, as well as in a separate Reddit post thanking those who helped her achieve her initial goal. “Thanks guys. Without the boost of love that Reddit gave me when I pushed this, this would never have happened, ”she writes, accompanied by an image of the chair now usable in-game.
one month ago I posted this. Thank you so much, and excuse my tears. @Fallout @bethesda @bethesda_nl #Fallout #Fallout76 pic.twitter.com/VHmy0LRcKO
– Kelly (Kel) (@Kytahl) November 25, 2020
Additionally, Leunen is raising money on GoFundMe to help pay for a Canta car. The Cantas are two-seater “micro cars” from the Netherlands (Leunen’s birthplace) specifically designed for use by disabled drivers. His plea to the gaming giant Bethesda has earned him much well-deserved support, and those who wish to contribute can find the fundraising link attached to the tweet above.
The wheelchair was an existing accessory in Fallout 76, which made it quite easy for Bethesda to turn it into a usable piece of furniture. However, the value of such small changes should not be downplayed: inclusion in games is often an afterthought, so small gains like this should be appreciated and seen as a role model for other developers. And while such a small change is inevitably drowned out by bigger new additions like the construction of underground bases, it clearly means a lot to those who offer “a little piece of me,” as Leunen puts it.
Fallout 76 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
