'Auti-Sim' Shows Users the World Through the Eyes of Hypersensitivity
Andrew Sztein — March 10, 2013 — Tech
A three-member team of developers at the Vancouver Hacking Health hackathon have made a childhood autism simulator.
Developed in only 12 hours with the help of a childhood autism expert, 'Auti-sim' puts players into the shoes of a autistic child. Since many autistic sufferers have to deal with hypersensitivity, the game simulates that effect by increasing stimuli as the player navigates a playground. As the player approaches crowds of people the sound levels get louder, the vision blurs, and more sound comes from each direction. When the player moves to quieter areas, the stimuli tapers off. The game was inspired by a documentary called 'Inside Autism' that portrayed a similar effect in a crowded Wal-Mart.
'Auti-sim' is not a flawless representation of childhood autism because the symptoms vary from person to person, but so far the feedback has been generally positive for the developers.
Developed in only 12 hours with the help of a childhood autism expert, 'Auti-sim' puts players into the shoes of a autistic child. Since many autistic sufferers have to deal with hypersensitivity, the game simulates that effect by increasing stimuli as the player navigates a playground. As the player approaches crowds of people the sound levels get louder, the vision blurs, and more sound comes from each direction. When the player moves to quieter areas, the stimuli tapers off. The game was inspired by a documentary called 'Inside Autism' that portrayed a similar effect in a crowded Wal-Mart.
'Auti-sim' is not a flawless representation of childhood autism because the symptoms vary from person to person, but so far the feedback has been generally positive for the developers.
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