Disabilities No Barrier for CapAble Gamers
Wed, 14 May 2008
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| source: ScienceDaily | thanks:Price Chopper
Who says video games can't be helpful?!
Don't be fooled...this is a photo of a real store...
Three college graduates in the USA, together with a team of coders, game designers, and others, have created a game that simulates the experience of going shopping.
The CapAbility Games Research Project, operating out of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y, developed the game 'Capable Shopper' to be a tool to help people with disabilities develop essential life skills and independence.
“By creating this simulated learning environment, our students have given individuals with disabilities an engaging way to learn skills directly related to independence in their daily lives. Beyond that, they’ve gotten them excited about engaging with the real world,” said Kathleen Ruiz, associate professor of electronic arts at Rensselaer, and faculty leader of the CapAbility Research Project.
“Games like ‘Capable Shopper’ illustrate the potential for new gaming genres such as serious games that combine the strengths of interactivity with multimedia to provide engaging simulations in communication, education, and artistic expression, among others.”
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ScienceDaily
The game is played by using either a specially designed joystick or head mouse. Players select a meal they would like to make, and move through the shopping centre in order to collect the requisite ingredients.
The game is now accesible round the clock at the Centre for Disability Services in Albany.
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