Duchenne United Gaming (DUG) LogoDuchenne United Gaming (DUG) is a Duchenne muscular dystrophy disease awareness initiative brought to you by PTC Therapeutics and CureDuchenne. The October 10 DUG Champion Competition will feature Adrien Quintero and four other gamers with Duchenne (James Wood, Hawken Miller, Chris Younkin and Wil Cook) competing in a Rocket League tournament via the online gaming platform Twitch. As panelists, these young men were also integral to the development and planning of this global rare disease event.

For Adrien, digital gameplay lets him tap into his competitive side: “I like having to play against opponents and trying to come out on top. It’s also fun when getting wins in games and sweeping the competition when playing with friends.”

Adrien uses a PlayStation console to engage in combat and battle strategy games: “One way gaming has made me better at other activities would have to be strategizing and committing to things I say I will do,” he explains.

Adrien Quintero, DUG Panelist and Gamer“(W)hen communicating to my teammates where enemy players are I can come up with new ways to give input on things in my daily life,” he says of developing clear and concise statements that will be easily understood by others.

Adrien may have mastered the art of online gaming, but he still longs to be with friends in person: “It’s not always easy when getting out of the house and wanting to go hangout with friends, trying to find places that are wheelchair accessible.”

For now, he has streaming games with the hope of an accessible in-person future for people with Duchenne and other rare diseases.

For information about the DUG Champion Competition, please visit CureDuchenne.org.