BrolyLegs

Michael Begum (born April 26, 1988), better known as BrolyLegs, is an American professional fighting game player primarily known for competing in Street Fighter. Begum's accolades as a competitive player include being ranked the #1 Chun-Li player online in Ultra Street Fighter IV from 2013 to 2017 and placing #25 in Street Fighter V in the 2022 Evolution Championship Series (EVO). He is affiliated with the charity AbleGamers and was included in the Street Fighter League.

A disabled gamer, Begum was born with the medical condition arthrogryposis, which hindered his muscle and joint growth and rendered him immobile. Playing video games at a young age, he developed a technique for gripping and pressing buttons on controllers with his face. Begum began his competitive gaming career in his adolescence by participating in tournaments for Super Smash Bros. with his brother. He has been a competitive fighting game player for over fifteen years, and has stated that competitive gaming has allowed him to pursue opportunities that he otherwise would've never done.

In addition to competitive gaming, Begum works as an online coach for fighting games. He also streams on Twitch and has written an autobiographical book called My Life Beyond The Floor.

Early and personal life

Michael Begum was born on April 26, 1988 in Brownsville, Texas to Josefine Begum and Michael Begum, Sr. His parents separated when Begum was six years old, and Begum resided in Brownsville with his father and younger brother Johnny. His father died in January 2009 from a brain aneurysm, leaving Begum and Johnny to live with his mother and younger sister, who had both moved to Houston following the separation. In 2019 he moved with his mother and brother to Austin, Texas shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Begum has arthrogryposis, a rare genetic condition that affects the movement of the joints in his arms and legs, along with impeding his muscle growth. As a result of the condition, he is unable to walk, sit and grab objects. He was also diagnosed with scoliosis, an "irregular curving of the spine," which prevented him from standing. Born with the condition, he was placed in medical care shortly after birth to undergo various surgeries for his limbs, only for doctors to confirm he would never walk. Begum's condition also resulted in him needing assistance throughout his life. His father, a mechanic, built various tools and structures to help Begum, such as an electric wheelchair for Begum in middle school. Following his father's death, Begum received care from various caretakers his mother hired before Johnny became legally registered as his caretaker, assisting him with his needs and attending gaming tournaments with him. Despite his need for assistance, Begum developed ways to perform tasks such as writing, typing and texting using his face.

Begum has played video games since he was a child. At the age of two, Begum's parents bought him a Nintendo Entertainment System, and Super Mario Brothers 3 was the first video game he played. Begum stated in a Game Informer interview that in order to access the controller, he would place his wrist on the directional pad and his chin on the buttons. He often played games with his brother where he would operate the controller with his face while his brother held it using his hands; his father would also place the television on the ground in order for Begum to see.

Career

Begum began playing video games competitively as a teenager, with one of his first competitive fighting games being Super Smash Bros. in 2004. He regularly attended local Super Smash Bros. Melee tournaments with his brother. Begum's gaming nickname "BrolyLegs" is a reference to the character Broly from the anime Dragon Ball Z, a series he was a fan of as a teenager. In Street Fighter, Begum primarily competes as the character Chun-Li, stating that her abilities match his playstyle; Begum is able to perform all of her moves despite only being able to press several of the buttons in gameplay.

Begum has been a competitive fighting game player for over fifteen years, participating in various gaming tournaments such as DreamHack Dallas, Space City Beatdown, and EVO. Throughout his career, he has played against other notable Street Fighter competitors such as Punk during EVO 2022,NuckleDu in a Street Fighter League exhibition match during E3 2019, and Daigo Umehara. Begum is noted for his competitive nature and skill when playing Street Fighter, often being able to place highly in tournaments. He has stated how he doesn't want to make excuses for himself whenever he competes. Publications have noted that competitive players have often reacted in bewilderment when competing with Begum, mainly due to his impediment. Despite this, Begum often competes with other professional gamers as esports typically lacks the separation of disabled gamers into their own bracket. Luke Winkle of Vice stated that "In BrolyLegs, you have a challenger who's not a mascot, and more than a Make-A-Wish recipient subbed in for one tearful play from scrimmage."

In 2017, Begum became affiliated with the AbleGamers charity. Prior to joining the organization, his van and laptop broke down after he had competed in EVO 2016. He approached the charity to ask for a laptop, and the charity supplied him with one alongside allowing Begum to partner with the organization for tournaments. Begum also has been a member of the Street Fighter League, a tournament for Street Fighter V. In E3 2019 he partook in an exhibition match for the tournament, and in late June of that year he won $10,000 from the league.

As a competitive gamer, Begum has achieved several titles. From 2013 to 2017, he was the #1 ranked Chun-Li player worldwide in the Xbox 360 version of Ultra Street Fighter IV. In EVO 2022, he placed #25 out of over 1,400 contestants in Street Fighter V, making it his best result since first attending the tournament in 2011. Other placements in tournaments include reaching #9 in Space City Beatdown and #17 in DreamHack. Begum has stated that he enjoys playing competitively as a disabled gamer, reflecting on how it gave him opportunities in life such as traveling and accomplishments that he may have never gotten. In 2016, Capcom produced a documentary on Begum's life as a Street Fighter competitive player with disabilities.

Technique and views

Begum's condition has led him to develop a technique for playing video games on controllers not designed for gamers with disabilities. He plays video games using his face and mouth. To access the analog stick for movement, he places his cheek on the left side of the controller, while accessing the buttons via pressing his tongue on his lower lip inside his right cheek. He also takes advantage of the flexibility of button remapping that Street Fighter along with other fighting games often include. Despite his ability to play competitively via his technique, Begum has a harder time with games that require the use of buttons on the shoulders, such as shooting games and Super Smash Bros. Melee - the latter game using shoulder buttons for defensive moves. Begum placed 4th in a Melee tournament playing the game using only offensive actions.

Begum has shared his appreciation for the strides the video game industry has taken to address disabilities in video games. He has used his position as a fighting game player to represent gamers with disabilities, including teaching a disabled gamer from Denmark. He has also advocated for custom controllers for disabled gamers, alongside universal button mapping for video games.

Other ventures

Begum works as an online coach for fighting games. He receives rewards as a member of Cross Counter Training, and coaches for games such as Street Fighter, Super Smash Bros. and Guilty Gear. One of his students appeared in EVO 2022 alongside Begum, reaching the top 200 of the tournament.

Begum also streams on Twitch as another source of income; he has a partnership on the website. He has also written an autobiography called My Life Beyond The Floor about how his disability has affected his life.

Primary sources

Further reading

External links

• BrolyLegs on Twitch