The story of Marc Werner is touching – but above all it gives courage. But how does he manage to play Dota with his head?
Paraplegic and still a Dota gamer – this man is inspiring
Marc Werner’s story is touching – but above all it gives courage. But how does he manage to play Dota with his head?
Attempting to kitesurf, he crashed into a house and broke three vertebrae in his neck. The result was a two-week coma, a long hospital stay and severe paralysis of the body. But almost 14 years after the stroke of fate, his path is inspiring.
In an interview for the official Dota channel during TI 2021, he explained: “Your family feels incredibly sorry for you in your situation – and you want to change that because you are the reason for it. And then I wanted to be strong – for them.”
His father also spoke visibly touched about the situation. But in the film he made it clear: “I see the development today. For me, it wasn’t a tragedy, but a kind of challenge – which we overcome as a family.”
Two years after the accident, a friend approached him about playing Dota like they used to – and so Marc Werner fought his way back into the gaming world. He said he missed the competition. He overtook his friend skill-wise – at the time of the last documentary, his MMR was 3000.
He explained his control system in his own YouTube video. Basically, he uses a joystick with his chin and left or right clicks with his temples, via buttons that are placed at the appropriate height – and thus has a similar in-game play style as most mouse players.
Inspired by the fun of Dota, he also ventured back into his school and academic career, he now has bachelor’s and master’s degrees under his belt. “Marc in himself is a role model for me. He taught me that there is a solution to every problem. You just have to think a little bit around the corner,” his brother elaborated.
Online, he said, hardly anyone knows he has a handicap: “When people say, ‘You play badly’, they say that because I play badly. And that’s okay.”
Dota has brought normality back to the gamer from Marl, he can compete again: “I think it’s good for me because it allows me to accept my situation.” On his now inactive Twitch channel, he also named HearthStone, Dirt 3 and Cities: Skylines as his favourite games.
He has successfully mastered the fight with such a blow of fate – and gaming was able to play its part.
