Disabled gamer: The inspirational story of Keith 'Aieron' Knight

An example of how Keith Knight plays video games.

(Credit: Screenshot by Christopher MacManus/CNET)

Keith Knight doesn't use his hands to defeat other players in video games such as League of Legends. Knight, who has muscular dystrophy, instead uses his cheek to control a mouse, his leg to press external switches mapped to game commands, and a pen in his mouth to type on a keyboard.

A documentary released this week shows what real life is like for the 27-year-old disabled gamer -- better known online as "Aieron" -- who resides in an assisted living community in British Columbia, Canada. Knight has a form of MS called amyoplasia arthrogrypos. From birth, this condition caused his body to form less muscle mass while his joints gradually stiffened over the years.

When Knight isn't dominating foes in League of Legends and streaming the results live on Twitch.tv, he spends time working toward his bachelor's degree in business administration (focusing on entrepreneurial leadership), as well as volunteering and fundraising for Muscular Dystrophy Canada. Knight also loves to play Powerchair Football.

Earlier this year, aspiring filmmaker Josh Chung saw an "Ask me anything" topic, created by Knight, in the League of Legends subsection of Reddit.

Throughout the conversation, many Reddit users called Knight an inspiration, which prompted Chung to delve deeper into Knight's story. Chung, seeing a big opportunity present, created a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for a documentary based on Knight's life. After raising $2,876, Chung flew out to see Knight, interviewed his friends and family, and created the inspirational movie embedded below.

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