Article

Implementing 'The Enclosing Dark': A VR Auditory Adventure

Video games rely heavily on visual information, making them largely inaccessible to blind or visually impaired (BVI) individuals. To address this barrier, we explored what an accessible video game for a BVI player would look like. Through the design process of The Enclosing Dark, an immersive virtual reality (VR) auditory adventure game, we found that audio, haptic, user interface, and player training require special development to translate them for a non-visual environment. The pre-game training teaches the player how to understand the audio and haptic information and navigate the user interface, which is essential due to the lack of industry standards. Through initial informal user experience (UX) testing, we have identified additional areas that need further study, including the user interface voice recognition system and a standardized auditory sound dictionary for use in future accessible games. The creation of The Enclosing Dark suggests that it is possible to create accessible VR games and provides a foundation upon which other game designers and studios can build.

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