Singapore-MIT Research

MIT students have developed AudiOdyssey, a computer game for visually impaired users. AudiOdyssey simulates a DJ trying to create a catchy tune and get people to dance. The player uses the Nintendo Wii's remote-control device to create a rhythm and lay down a series of musical tracks, gradually building a song. Singapore-MIT Gambit Game Lab graduate student Eitan Gilnert says that although the Wii gaming system has attracted a lot of people who never previously played video games, people with disabilities are being left behind. Gilnert started to research available video games that were designed for the visually impaired, and found that the games were so specifically adapted for sound and tactile play that they gave visually-impaired players too much of an advantage. Gilnert set out to create a game that could be played equally well by both visually impaired and sighted players. The game also is designed to be played on a regular keyboard for those without Wiis. Gilnert says the game is an early prototype and limited in its capabilities. MIT Comparative Media Studies program graduate Alicia Verlager, who is blind, helped develop the game. "The element I probably most envy about gamers is just the way they hang out together and share doing something fun," Verlager says. "Hanging out with other gamers playing AudiOdyssey was really fun."