New game Life Resounding offers a glimpse at neurodivergent life
A new video game has been developed to give players an insight into the mind of a neurodivergent person.
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The short game called Life Resounding produced by the University of South Australia, challenges players to carry out everyday tasks, such as concentrating in the classroom or working in an open-plan office in a neurodivergent world.
The game then 'hijacks' the player's ability to stay focused, by forcing them to gaze out the window or feel bothered when rubbish keeps appearing on the floor that should be in the bin.
University of South Australia game design and digital media lecturer Dr Susannah Emery wants to challenge misconceptions about neurodivergent people, as she has ADHD herself.
"I think it's important to understand neurodiversity from the inside," she says.
"When most people think about neurodiversity, they think about the medical diagnostic criteria for things like autism and ADHD.
"But the medical criteria mostly focus on the ways that being neurodivergent affects other people."
University of South Australia lecturer in game design and digital media Susie Emery. Picture by University of South Australia
She said the ADHD criteria includes observations such as not listening when spoken to directly, but as someone with ADHD she finds she listens better when she is not forced to look at someone's eyes during the conversation.
The researcher hopes neurotypical people who play the game will understand what it's like to "grow up in these spaces that aren't designed for people with different ways of looking at the world".
"I'm really hoping that neurotypical people play the game to gain a little bit of an understanding of what being neurodivergent is like," she said.
"I'd also like neurodivergent people to play the game and maybe relate to some of the situations. This will help open dialogue around neurodivergence."
Life Resounding aims to give players an insight into a neurodivergent mind. Picture supplied
Life Resounding's game programmer George Martin said the project has helped fulfil his enjoyment for creating video games with a social impact.
"This project is important to me because there is a message behind it. It can act as a tool of empathy that enables people who don't understand neurodivergent experiences to have a different perspective," he said.
Neurodivergent people are just people who have a different way of seeing the world and it's hard for them when everything is designed around a neurotypical mindset.
The game's soundtrack was also carefully crafted by musician and game developer John Oestmann to enhance the game's emotional impact, such as having a gradual increase in tempo or change in the stability, to show growing frustration if a player struggles with a task.
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