Disability Focussed Board Game Wins Award

A board game which brings disability culture and history to life in a significant and accessible way has won a major prize at the 2025 Games for Change Awards in New York.

‘Legless in London’, which earned the Best Board or Tabletop Game for Impact award, allows players to experience the challenges and opportunities that Victorian London presented to lower-limb amputees.

Through the game, all players assume the role of an amputee and attempt to achieve life goals such as buying property, finding love or fulfilling personal ambitions.

They are challenged to navigate the Victorian streets, the prosthetic limb market, the sickroom, and various locations that provide them with opportunities to achieve their aims.

The game is based on research by Dr Ryan Sweet (pictured above), a Lecturer in English and Creative Writing at the University of Plymouth, and an expert in disability history.

It stems from his 2022 book ‘Prosthetic Body Parts in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture’, and many of the game’s characters, locations and scenarios are inspired by research he conducted for the book.

“It’s safe to say that receiving this award has blown my mind,” said Dr Sweet.

“As a little boy, I used to make board games for my family as a bit of fun, and I thought it would be an interesting way to engage people with my research. I never imagined 'Legless in London' would get this kind of recognition, but it is amazing for everyone involved and I hope it makes more people aware of the experiences of disabled people.”

In developing the game, Dr Sweet and the project team liaised closely with a focus group of members of the disabled community, including Disability Arts Cymru. Since then, they have engaged with more than 170 players – many of them with disabilities - through launch events and received overwhelming positive feedback.

They are now collaborating to create a set of inclusive design guidelines for tabletop game makers, with the aim of making other future games more accessible to all audiences.

To find out more about the game visit www.leglessinlondon.com