Board game bringing disability history to life wins international award

The game was inspired by research carried out by Lecturer in English and Creative Writing, Dr Ryan Sweet
Legless in London – new board game inspired by research carried out by Lecturer in English and Creative Writing, Dr Ryan Sweet
Focus Games
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 , 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.
Dr Sweet completed a significant amount of his research on 19th century literature while working at the University of Plymouth between 2017 and 2020, and continued pursuing it after moving to Swansea University.
It was there that the idea for Legless in London came into being, and the game – which launched in February 2025 – has been designed and produced by Focus Games in conjunction with Dr Sweet and Swansea University.

It’s safe to say that receiving this award has blown my mind.

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.

Ryan SweetDr Ryan Sweet
Lecturer in English and Creative Writing

In developing the game, Dr Sweet and the wider team liaised closely with a focus group of members of the disabled community, including Disability Arts Cymru.
And since the game was released in February, the project team has engaged over 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 games makers, with the aim of making other future games more accessible to all audiences.

Growing up, my brother was hard of hearing and I became interested in how he was being treated differently in comparison to what I experienced. When I started my research on disability in the 19th century, it really fuelled my interest in the topic more broadly. This game is a way of making more people aware of the challenges and opportunities encountered by people with disabilities, both in Victorian times but also today. It is also about getting players to appreciate that – at the end of the day – everyone, regardless of any physical or mental conditions, is human.

Dr Ryan Sweet with the Legless in London game that is based on his research Focus Games
Dr Ryan Sweet with the Legless in London game that is based on his research
 
 
 
 
 

Immerse yourself in the literature and culture that shaped who we are now, while honing your own craft as a writer:

English and Creative Writing courses