Inclusive Action Game Presenting Real-time Multimodal Presentations for Sighted and Blind Persons

ABSTRACT Several audio games have been developed for visually impaired players to enjoy only by using audio information. However, sighted persons find it challenging to play these games because they mainly use visual information. To bridge the gap between them, developing games that appropriately present multisensory modalities: To devise an auditory and tactile presentation method that allows the sighted to manipulate and identify features, enabling them to play without visual information. Therefore, we develop an inclusive game that both sighted and visually impaired people can play. Here, we developed a real-time sensory substitution method using auditory and tactile senses, including a tactile game controller (TactCon). Then, we implemented the method in a 2D side-scrolling action game and evaluated the game by either sighted or visually impaired people at a two-month exhibition: not a controlled experiment. Results show that immediate auditory and tactile presentation can be important for visually impaired and sighted gamers to play action games requiring real-time response. Furthermore, we considered how the presentation of moving objects can be understood in an inclusive action game.