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SoVaTaSS
Practice game for children with autism
Gaming to improve your social skills: at first glance, it does not seem a logical combination. Yet it can be very pleasant and effective to start practising in a ‘digital’ world, where it is not a problem if something goes wrong. This is proven by the serious game SoVaTass that we developed in collaboration with NHL Stenden and Hanze University Groningen.
The power of learning through play
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More fun and motivation
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Safe connection to children’s experiences with autism
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Embedded in regular treatment methods
Serious game for children with autism
Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASS) often have more difficulty with social skills than their peers. The extent to which the disorder manifests itself in everyday life differs for each child. It is often the case that assessing social situations is slightly more difficult. The child often notices this too.
Because this sometimes causes frustration, they avoid these situations and their world becomes smaller and smaller. To prevent this and to help the children on the social plane, 8D Games in cooperation with NHL Stenden and Van Hall Larenstein has developed an exercise game for children with autism: SoVaTaSS.
Approach
SoVaTaSS is set in a village on an island. We have kept the look and feel of the island and the characters calm, so that children can concentrate on the tasks at hand: helping the other inhabitants of the island. For example, someone has a problem with his cart and someone else needs help with photography. In almost all situations the player learns to recognise emotions and, based on this information, to react appropriately. For example: making a blunt remark to someone who is already angry will make him even angrier. Through the cause-and-effect principle of the game, the player learns which actions lead to which result.
“Spelen is een heel veilige en laagdrempelige manier om te oefenen met sociale vaardigheden. Maak je een ‘fout’, dan zitten daar geen gevolgen aan.”
Case: SoVaTaSS
Maarten Stevens
Eigenaar 8D Games
Results
In the safe environment of SoVaTaSS, various social skills are needed to progress in the game, such as recognising and responding to emotions, being assertive, complimenting and thanking. In this way, the child regains confidence in its own social skills. The learned skills can be immediately applied in the real world!
The development of this training game for children with autism was part of a larger research project led by Dr. Job van ‘t Veer (Lectorate Digital Innovation in Care & Welfare, NHL Stenden).
Learn more about the functionality of a serious game as a research tool?
Research at the heart of society
Questions? Need a sparring partner?
Call 058 843 57 57
Mail johan@8d-games.nl
Johan will be happy to tell you more.
At 8D, we support researchers in integrating a design approach into their work, from project design to creative product development and process supervision. These participatory methodologies help solve complex, people-centred problems and embed research findings in society in a sustainable way.
Learn more about social design
In all our projects, we apply our own social design approach, which we have refined over the past ten years through hands-on experience. Our method combines the best elements of various design-driven methodologies, with co-creation with stakeholders at its core. What makes this approach unique is that it allows for course adjustments based on co-creation while simultaneously maintaining momentum through clear task division and concrete planning.
