The original Quad Gods
Adaptive gamers were stunning the world of esports long before Ilia Malinin took over the 2026 Winter Olympics.
American figure skater Ilia Malinin is one of the breakthrough stars of the Milano Cortina games thanks to some incredible spins and a catchy nickname, but the original “Quad God” was a quadriplegic gamer named Chris Scott.
Malinin famously came up with his nickname while creating an instagram account. For Scott, the journey was much longer.
Chris Scott was an experienced skydiving instructor with thousands of successful jumps when an unexpected storm caused him to crash. The 2014 accident left him with a broken neck and a high-level spinal cord injury.
But Scott was a gamer. Always had been. After the injury, he learned how to play his Xbox again using a “QuadStick," an adaptive joystick that allowed him to control all aspects of the game just by moving his head, mouth, and tongue.
Scott was still transitioning to life with a disability when he met David Putrino, PhD, co-director of Mount Sinai Hospital's Abilities Research Center. The pair played a game of NBA2k, and Scott dominated. Dr. Putrino was amazed at his ability and the potential of the technology to support neuroplasticity. They invited other Mount Sinai patients to practice and soon hatched the idea of forming the world's first fully quadriplegic esports team: The Quad Gods.
From the start, it was clear that the team of seven players intended to compete. They worked with Mount Sinai, Logitech, Able Gamers, and Adaptive Action Sports to organize a nation-wide adaptive esport tournament (the annual event now offers over $30,000 in prize money). That's where a group of filmmakers caught the story and started recording. The full length documentary, directed by Jess Jacklin, premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival.
The film follows three of the original team members; Richard, Prentice, and Blake, as they navigate the team's journey toward the tournament and through the daily gauntlet of New York City accessibility. Quad Gods is a movie about disability and sports, but somehow it avoids the typical "overcoming adversity" themes of both genres. It is an honest, emotional, and often hilarious portrayal of friendship, resilience, and shifting identity as each player makes their way through physical and digital worlds.
