ROCHESTER, Minn. – Playing video games is serious business for Randy Fitzgerald.
The Rochester man is a professional gamer, who streams live on Facebook and plays under the name Nomad spelled ‘N0m4d’.
Playing video games for a living isn’t the only thing that sets 41-year-old Fitzgerald apart.
He was born with a condition called arthrogryposis, which prevented him from using his legs or arms. Despite this seemingly overwhelming obstacle, he plays games with a modified controller using his chin, lips, and other facial muscles.
After studying video game design in school, Fitzgerald was an intern at Activision. In 1999, he became a well-known figure at the annual electronics and video game expo E3. He became a member of an electronic sports team and competed in public championships.
That notoriety evolved into stardom when he became the first paraplegic professional video gamer in 2007. Fitzgerald transitioned from major competitions to game streaming.
Born in Iowa, Fitzgerald came to Rochester for medical treatment at the Mayo Clinic. After spending a year as a teenager recovering from surgery at Saint Marys Hospital, he decided to live here. In October, he moved into his own home in southwest Rochester with his best friend/guardian, “Smiley” Gutzman and his teenage niece, Alana Mullen.
Q. How did you get into gaming?
“I was born in 1979. So my father had an Atari. And so I started playing these games.
“But the earliest memories are… of him taking me to the local bowling alley, when I was really young. I remember he was pulling a pinball machine next to the Pac Man machine. He had me on my stomach on the pinball machine, so I could reach the Pac Man joystick with my chin. “
“In 1985 the original Nintendo game system came out… I remember looking at the controller and thinking, ‘How am I going to play this?’ Because, you know, we went from a joystick and a button (on the Atari) to a D (directional) pad and two buttons. … It took me about five minutes to look at the controller. I realized when I turned it sideways… I could put my chin on the D-pad and my upper lip on the A and B buttons. And I’ve been playing that way ever since. »
Q. What is your favorite game for work and what do you play for fun?
“It’s different these days. It’s a work. I have to play most of the time rather than play when I want. I’m a hardcore gamer, so it’s hard to choose just one game. Pac Man is my most beloved, because I played it with dad. As far as modern games go, I’m best known for “Call of Duty: Rainbow Six”. This is what most people expect me to play. The developers even gave my name to a parameter configuration. »
Q. How did this situation with “Call of Duty” come about?
“I had trouble holding the left trigger and the right trigger at the same time to raise my gun, aim and fire. I could do it, but it was very difficult. And it hurt. On a message board I wrote about the problem. “
“Soon I was surprised to see 25,000 people signing a petition to create a setting for me. So they pulled the left trigger. This way I could tap to raise the weapon and tap again to lower it. “
“Since then, almost every version of Call of Duty has included the Nomad setting as an option to configure your commands.”
Q. What does a day at work look like for you?
“It starts with creating graphics for the upcoming evening. Configuration of recording software. Make sure the camera is configured correctly.
“You have to be in the right frame of mind. It’s not just playing games. It’s much more than that.
“You teach people watching how to play and what to do. You have to be entertaining, smart, funny and witty… for seven hours, almost every day. When I’m done, I’m just lost. I don’t talk to anyone. I put on headphones, stop and watch TV. “
Q. You’re an online celebrity, but have you ever been recognized on the streets of Rochester as Nomad the Gamer?
“Not usually. I was recognized around town a while ago when I went out for sushi with my friend Igor (Vovkovinskiy, the tallest man in the world).
“Of course, we both stick out like sore thumbs. People saw us and said, “Holy shit, you’re Igor. And then they looked at me and said, “Aren’t you the one playing games with his face?” I told them that we world record holders must stick together. “
Q. Where does the name Nomad come from?
“I consider a nomad as someone who searches the world for a purpose in life. Along the way, they learn all of these things and wisdom. Then they share this wisdom wherever they go and with everyone they meet.
Q. How do you keep such a positive attitude?
“That’s how I was raised. My parents did not treat me differently. They taught me that I could do whatever I wanted, but the world owed me nothing.
“But life would be a lot harder without my best friend, Smiley. He basically dedicated his life to helping me. I am a lucky man. I have someone to help me achieve my goals. »
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