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Blind Kids Create Online Inclusive Games and Play at Their First Tournament!
Try these free online games that have been created by youth who are blind or visually impaired!
Imagine playing online games without knowing -or caring- if the other player might be blind. Imagine now that the games played are created by blind children… Well, this is exactly what the Greek non-profit company SciFY (Science For You) managed to do with Memor-i Online!
Some of the results of SciFY’s work with inclusive gaming for the last few years, is that children in the Special School of Kallithea, Athens (KEAT) develop their own games with the help of their teachers. And with the support of John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, the children can now play their own games online as well, without restrictions!
The first pilot tournament between blind and sighted children, which was organized by SciFY, was a success and the impressions were great!
Blind children create games!
For the past three years SciFY has been creating free electronic educational games for both blind and seeing children. These games (www.gamesfortheblind.org) are being used by children and organizations not only in Greece, but abroad as well. The downloads have exceeded 11,000, and the number is constantly increasing!
The next step was the Memor-i studio platform (memoristudio.scify.org) , where anyone can easily create their own inclusive memory game, that can be played by blind and non-blind people. Educators and children at Special Schools are already creating their own variations, that help them develop their skills and of course learn.
Since then, more than 15 games have been created by blind children and their educators, and they report that they intend to keep on doing this, since the process and the results have multiple benefits for all parties involved!
Online games, now accessible to everyone
This time SciFY, went way further: It allowed children to play against the computer, but also against other players online. Since blindness or low vision is no longer an issue for gaming, children can play with other players without knowing (or even caring) whether or not their opponent is blind!
In fact on the 9th of November 2017, Memor-i Online was tested in real conditions, where children from a Special School in Athens played with sighted children from another Elementary School!
What is more, any new game created in Memor-i studio platform can now be both played against the computer and online!
Next Steps
SciFY team is already in contact with special educators and children in order to design the next games. At the same time, they study the possibilities and limitations of inclusive online gaming, participate in workshops and educational events and freely share the knowledge they have gained.
For More Information
Find more information about Memor-i Online project or try the free electronic games that SciFY developed. Finally, you can play 20+ educational variants of the Memor-i game, or create your own educational game and share it freely with a click here.
For more information, contact: Vassileios Giannakopoulos, vgia@scify.org, +30 211 400 4192, +30 697 205 8648
