Video Games Can Help Blind to Map Out the Real World

Researchers from the University of Chile and Harvard Medical School have worked on a project that allows the blind to join the real world through the use of a video game console.

The team used three audio-based PC games that allow players to navigate a labyrinth, a subway system and real-world buildings based on audio cues, Reuters.com reports. The games work by interpreting information transmitted by sounds like footsteps and door knocks. According to Lotfi B. Merabet, co-author of the "AER Journal: Research and Practice in Visual Impairment and Blindness," the player navigates via keyboard to move and interact with the virtual 3D environment. In the process, the user learns to build a spatial cognitive map of their surroundings. To date, there are over 50 audio-based games, developed primarily for the blind. The games vary from pinball to "Space Invaders"-style games to "GMA Tank Commander." The goal was to develop audio-based gaming to help blind children develop spatial, cognitive and social skills. Reuters added.