Project Overview

Many children with disabilities deal with much more than just their impairments. They are often faced with additional challenges in accessing recreational activities. Often times, they aren't even given the chance. This needs to change.So around the holiday season in 2023, I partnered with a school for children with disabilities to deliver accessible forms of entertainment to its students. Conducting student market research, analyzing existing "competitors" and forms of entertainnment, and learning about all the different needs and wants of the students, I decided to create a series of controlled computer games. Using Unity, I developed mentally and physically stimulating arcade-style games for students with varying physical and cognitive abilities. Physical components were designed using Fusion360 following Universal Design principles to accomodate the wide range of motor abilities and ensure accessibility for all students. A donated computer was used to host the application, and an assistive "control panel" with a trackball and button was created to allow all students to interact with the games. Upon launching the application, users are brought to a simple home screen with the option to choose which game to play. Clicking a game takes the user to the game screen. To ensure both joy and safety, clear navigation, simple controls and games, and supervisor-required keyboard commands were implemented. To prevent the unauthorized use of the games and excessive play time, the games were designed to be played one session at a time given supervisor approval. This meant that supervisors must be present to launch each session, ensuring reasonable screen time for the children. Upon loading each game, there is also no back or exit button on screen to bring users back to the home screen. Supervisors must enter keyboard commands to exit the game, preventing excess screen time as users couldn't simply switch games when they eventually got bored.

Games

The goal was to create simple to understand and play games for children that: - are useable and accessible to children of all abilities - offer high visual, audio, physical, and mental stimulation - anyone can play and find fun Here are a few of the games that I developed:

Game 1: Food Follow

The first game is a simple to follow and play action/reaction game. The user uses the track ball to control the cursor, using the button to place pieces of food on the cursor's location. A fish swims around the screen, following and eating the food in the order they are placed. As the fish eats, it grows in size, and as the fish "gets hungry", it shrinks.This visual feedback helps children understand the relationship between their actions and the game's response, providing a clear cause-and-effect relationship.Audio stimuli from food placement and eating, along with the physical stimulation of using the trackball and button and cause-and-effect feedback, make this game a fun and engaging way to relax and bring joy to the children.

Game 1: Food Follow

The first game is a simple to follow and play action/reaction game. The user uses the track ball to control the cursor, using the button to place pieces of food on the cursor's location. A fish swims around the screen, following and eating the food in the order they are placed. As the fish eats, it grows in size, and as the fish "gets hungry", it shrinks.This visual feedback helps children understand the relationship between their actions and the game's response, providing a clear cause-and-effect relationship.Audio stimuli from food placement and eating, along with the physical stimulation of using the trackball and button and cause-and-effect feedback, make this game a fun and engaging way to relax and bring joy to the children.

Game 2: Line Follow

This is a scaled down version of the Food Follow game, designed to be easier to play and operate. It retains the core mechanics while simplifying the controls and reducing the complexity of the gameplay.Food automatically spawns at the cursor's location at regular intervals, and users can use the trackball to "draw" with the spawned food.Fish mechanics remain the same, with the fish following and eating food as it is placed, growing and shrinking accordingly.This game is designed to be more accessible and less overwhelming for children who may find the original Food Follow game too complex or physically challenging, while still providing engaging visual and audio stimuli and physical engagement.

Game 2: Line Follow

This is a scaled down version of the Food Follow game, designed to be easier to play and operate. It retains the core mechanics while simplifying the controls and reducing the complexity of the gameplay.Food automatically spawns at the cursor's location at regular intervals, and users can use the trackball to "draw" with the spawned food.Fish mechanics remain the same, with the fish following and eating food as it is placed, growing and shrinking accordingly.This game is designed to be more accessible and less overwhelming for children who may find the original Food Follow game too complex or physically challenging, while still providing engaging visual and audio stimuli and physical engagement.

Game 3: Bubble Popper

This game is a fast-paced action game where players use the trackball and button to pop bubbles that slowly rise from the bottom of the screen. It is a visual and auditory experience that encourages quick reflexes and hand-eye coordination.Visual feedback and audio cues provide immediate reinforcement of player actions, enhancing the overall gaming experience.

Game 3: Bubble Popper

This game is a fast-paced action game where players use the trackball and button to pop bubbles that slowly rise from the bottom of the screen. It is a visual and auditory experience that encourages quick reflexes and hand-eye coordination.Visual feedback and audio cues provide immediate reinforcement of player actions, enhancing the overall gaming experience.