The world of adaptive gaming is growing fast, and filmmaker Jess Jacklin has captured one of its most compelling stories in her HBO documentary chronicling the esports team dubbed the “Quad Gods.” What began as an exploration into cutting-edge rehabilitation technology blossomed into an emotional, character-driven story about resilience, camaraderie, and shattering societal expectations.
Quad Gods follows the lives of a group of New Yorkers with quadriplegia who meet in a neuro-rehabilitation lab at Mount Sinai Hospital and create the world’s first all-quadriplegic esports team.
The director’s interest in the subject matter was born out of her own experiences. After dealing with chronic pain herself, Jacklin became familiar with the work of neuroscientist Dr. David Putrino at Mount Sinai Hospital. Putrino merges neuroscience and rehabilitation using technology like virtual reality and adaptive gaming equipment. Jacklin recalls witnessing a patient with neuropathic pain using VR to simulate scenarios where his legs moved and his feet sensed water — a fascinating approach designed to rewire neural pathways.
“The lab became my entry point into the world of neuro-rehabilitation and cutting-edge tech,” says Jacklin. It was during one of her visits that she first met the group of individuals who would later form the Quad Gods. Led by Chris Scott, who tragically passed away, the team had a simple yet ambitious goal: to launch an esports team for individuals with spinal cord injuries. Captivated by their infectious energy and humor, Jacklin knew she had found her story.
“I grabbed a friend with a camera and followed them from the very beginning,” she recalls. “We were there when they brainstormed their team name and started building their identity — we got these really fun, organic moments of the super early days of their team.”
Prentice Cox in Quad Gods (photo courtesy of HBO)
The process of creating the documentary wasn’t without challenges. Jacklin spent months with the team, exploring their homes, lives, and ambitions. But the COVID-19 pandemic struck just as the production shifted into high gear. Given that many of her subjects were immunocompromised, filming was put on hold — a setback that Jacklin used to gather pitch materials and find partners for the project.
Once the world reopened, the production gained momentum, with HBO coming on board as a platform for the film. Jacklin also enlisted Tim Fox, an animator based outside London, to help bring the narrative’s competitive gaming element to life. Fox’s animations, which included motion-capture performances he personally recorded, became an exciting facet of the storytelling.
“He’s an incredible animator,” Jacklin says. “He does a lot of things himself, which is really fascinating. He wore the Mocap (motion caputre) suit [to create many of the animations]. Even women dancing at the club — that’s all Tim performing — which is so funny to think about when you watch the animations. I found him by just looking at a lot of different reels of animators. His style felt perfect for the gaming world.”
Photo courtesy of HBO
At the heart of Jacklin’s documentary is the diversity of perspectives within the Quad Gods team. She worked hard to highlight the nuanced realities of living with disabilities. “I wanted to make sure there was a diversity of perspective,” she explains. “What I learned from spending a lot of time with them, and just the disabled community generally, is that there’s this sense that everyone’s having the same experience or they’ve all been through something similar. It was about finding a way to get into the nuance of the disabled experience and finding characters that could open that up.”
The Quad Gods (photo courtesy of HBO)
Beyond the narrative’s emotional threads, the documentary offers a glimpse into groundbreaking rehabilitation tools introduced by Dr. Putrino’s lab. Adaptive gaming controllers, VR, and even exoskeletons are helping spinal cord injury patients regain function and independence.
Jacklin describes Putrino’s personal journey that shaped his curiosity about rehabilitation. After suffering a seizure as a baby, Putrino underwent early forms of constraint-induced movement therapy, which influenced his career path. Now, he’s working to make rehabilitation practical and portable through technology: “This stuff is affordable — it’s at the consumer level.”
“You can get these headsets, you can get these controllers, you can have this in your house,” Jacklin says. “There’s a thing that happens with rehab — traditional rehab — you’ve got to go to a place. It’s really boring. You’ve got to do the same movement over and over again. So, I think there’s a practicality to technology in the space because it’s more entertaining and you can take it with you wherever you are.”
Richard Jacobs and Sergio Acevedo in Quad Gods (photo courtesy of HBO)
The documentary also explores how the Quad Gods are empowering younger generations. By the film’s end, Andy, a promising new member, emerges as the team’s breakout star, mastering Super Smash Bros. and winning major tournaments on his quad stack. “He’s a full on member of the team now,” Jacklin reveals. “It’s been amazing to watch.”
While the adaptive gaming movement is still expanding, Jacklin hopes her film encourages more visibility for individuals with disabilities — and more initiatives like those spearheaded by Dr. Putrino.
“I loved subverting expectations,” Jacklin says. “You think, ‘Oh, they’re gamers in wheelchairs stuck at home,’ but it’s the opposite. Their lives are so rich beyond that. They’re out in the world every day.”
Quad Gods is currently streaming on Max.
