Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Indie Game Developer Creates Autism Sim Game

Indie Game Developer Creates Autism Sim Game


What's it like to be a child with sensory sensitivities on a noisy, busy playground? Find out when you play Auti-Sim.

What is it like to be a child on the autism spectrum on a noisy, busy playground? The typical laughter and squeals of joy can be overstimulating and scary for children with sensory sensitivities. It is difficult for those without sensory issues to understand how a place of joy can be anything but fun for children, but a new indie game, Auti-Sim, attempts to give everyone a brief glimpse into the life of a child with autism.
 
Auti-Sim is playable on the GameJolt.com website, a site dedicated to independent game developers.  
 
“This game was developed during Hacking Health Vancouver 2013 hackathon. The player navigates through a playground as an autistic child with auditory hypersensitivity. Proximity to loud children causes sensory overload for the player, impacting cognitive functions. This impact is represented as visual noise and blur, as well as audio distortion. Participants described the experience as visceral, insightful and compelling.”

What do you think? Is the game degrading to autistics or is it a valid attempt at helping neurotypical individuals understand what it is like to deal with sensory sensitivities? Watch a video of the game below:


To learn more, please click on the above title.
To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.


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