After a long time of researching, designing and programming, the game “Playful Learning about Supported Communication (SOC)” is ready! The game is available to everyone for free via the Google Play Store (Android), Apple App Store (iOS) and the Deelkracht website. In this article, we provide an inside look at the game’s development process. How did 8D Games together with Deelkracht come up with the design and what functionalities can you expect?
Download the Supported Communication Game via:
‘Supported Communication (OC) is the use of alternative forms of communication for people who do not – or have difficulty – speaking or understanding language,’ says Madelon Toussaint, initiator from Deelkracht. ‘Often people already use OC without realizing it themselves, for example by pointing to something or making a gesture. However, if you ask them to do this consciously, they sometimes don’t dare or it feels complicated to learn. With this game we want to lower that threshold. Parents, therapists and children with a communicative disability discover in a playful way what OC can do for them. Toussaint: ‘There are many specialized aids that can support communication, but the road to finding the most appropriate form is quite complicated. Then a positive first introduction to OC, as we want to create with the game, can be just the push you need to embark on that adventure.’
An exploratory design process started in 2021/2022, in which practitioners and parents of children with communicative multiple disabilities (CMB) also played an important role. Stephan Burghout, project leader from 8D: “On the basis of a brainstorm with practitioners and parents, we first mapped out all the important preconditions and restrictions. Think of practical choices, such as the device we are going to develop for, but also certainly questions such as: when exactly is the game successful? It is tempting to disregard these basic questions, but if you test these questions against the parents and practitioners who want to use the app together with a child, it yields an awful lot of nuances and refinements for the design.’
Based on the brainstorms, a creative concept and a so-called wireframe were developed. Burghout: ‘This is a functional representation of how the game works – which screens are there, where is which button, do we all have the same functionalities in mind? A wireframe makes an initial idea tangible, both for our development team and the practitioners and end users. Whereas in the idea phase there is still a great risk of confusion, in the wireframing phase you have something concrete to agree on together. Moreover, making the idea concrete often yields new insights. For example, a couple of parents and therapists were sharp enough to think of a quick lock function, so that no icons are changed or lost if a child handles the tablet a little roughly.’
OC can be used everywhere. But if you’re just getting acquainted with it, it’s nice if you can start experimenting with it in situations that occur every day. Therefore, as a player of the SOC game, you start in a house and navigate from there to different rooms: the bathroom, the bedroom, the kitchen, the living room and the attic. In each room you will find pre-programmed icons that you can use during everyday activities such as sleeping, reading, washing, eating or taking a stroll. And in the attic? There, parents, caregivers and therapists can find all kinds of in-depth information about Supported Communication; tools to help them take the step towards specialized OC tools, should the need arise after playing. Toussaint: ‘The pre-programmed scenarios make starting with OC really easy – you can get started right away and we have certainly built in room for fun. For example, there is a picto that allows you to put a lot of cheese on the character’s sandwich. Little quips like that are in keeping with what we want the game to convey: OC is not about doing everything perfectly, but about connecting and having fun with each other.’
In addition to the pre-programmed scenarios and in-depth information, the game also includes the option to create your own “picto library. Burghout: ‘You can draw, record sounds or take pictures yourself and add this content to a personalized picto library. This makes the game very versatile; users can choose exactly the form that suits their situation and keep expanding the library together. The photo option also offers all sorts of fun opportunities to bring the game even closer to everyday life; think adding photos of one’s own bubble boss or one’s own pile of cheese in the refrigerator. Technically, this project was a really fun challenge for our development team. We hope a lot of children, practitioners and parents will benefit from the end result.’
Further explore the applications of serious gaming? Watch our webinar: ‘Healthcare, Research & Serious Gaming’ featuring PhD; Lise Beumeler and Innovation Director; Johan van der Meulen.
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