Monday, November 11, 2002 - 3:09 pm CT
Racing Game for the Blind
Reported by: David Laprad
Three students of Music Technology from the Utrecht School of the Arts
have released Drive, a computer racing game for blind children,
developed in co-operation with the Bartimeus Institute for the blind.
This game, which only consists of sound, translates the essence of
visual racing titles into audio elements.
The object of the game is to test the maximum speed of a newly
developed vehicle, named the Shuttle, by driving as fast as possible.
This shuttle moves along a fixed track, and the player has to pick up
boosters to gain speed. Several sound effects will try to prevent the
player from doing this. Co-pilot Bob and his stubborn comments
accompany the player. There's absolutely no visual feedback; only the
game's title, Drive, is visible on the screen. The player is solely
dependent on his or her hearing.
Players from around the world can compete with each other through a
special Drive website where high scores are displayed. Currently, the
game has one level.
Drive can be downloaded for free from http://www.racesimcentral.net/