'The Explorer and the Mystery of the Diamond Scarab' Launch
Published by: BillGameBase on 24th Mar 2011 | View all blogs by BillGameBase
On Friday 25 March 2011, Royal Dutch Visio, Centre of Expertise for blind
and partially sighted people will host the worldwide launch of a unique game
for the Wii game computer. For the first time, children with and without
visual impairment can play together on an equal level, thanks to the game
called "The Explorer and the Mystery of the Diamond Scarab". The Mayor of
Haren - no less - will be present at the launching of this game, which will
take place at Visio Education Centre in Haren. Mayor Boumans will compete
against the best player from Visio.
Visio supports, encourages and counsels visually impaired people by
providing various courses, training and programmes. In addition to the
positive effect of playing unhindered with peers on an equal level, this
game also contributes to improving motoric functions and physical
coordination.
International introduction
In addition to the school in Haren, four other Visio schools will be
involved in the introduction of this game. A school in Sarajevo (Bosnia)
will also participate in the launch via the partnership with Visio
International. Via Skype connection, the various sites will be connected
with the main site in Haren so they will experience the official
presentation live. Before the launch, all the schools will work on a
week-long subject: Egypt. The education institutes already have contact with
each other via Skype and Facebook. See www.visio.org/Wii-game
Development
At the end of 2008 the collaboration partners - MAD multimedia, Principal
Blue, TNO and Royal Dutch Visio - had decided to give the concept of Serious
Gaming a new dimension. Within two years and with a subsidy from Innovative
Action Programme in Groningen (Dutch: IAG2) the first official Nintendo Wii
game was developed for children with or without visual impairment. The
process used for this development is called co-creation, a technique in
which the end user is involved in the development of new products and
services. Visually impaired, blind and full sighted children contributed to
the content and form of this game, while physical therapists, exercise
specialists and teachers monitored the motoric aspects.
The outcome
In this game you play the role of Ben the Archaeologist who is searching for
the Temple of the Diamond Scarab. Once he is in the temple he meets Tiri, an
enchanting Egyptian princess. Going through a maze of underground passages
they look for ancient Egyptian treasures and confront various challenges.
The Guardian leads them step by step to the exit. The game is played on a
Balance Board, a standard Wii accessory. With this you can move through the
maze, find treasures and enter challenging situations. Since this is the
first game in the world developed jointly for visually impaired, blind and
fully sighted children, the game can be played in Dutch and in English.
To order the Wii game
As of April the wii game The Explorer can be ordered here:
http://www.visio.org/Wii-game
http://www.gamebase.info/magazine/read/the-explorer-and-the-mystery-of-the-diamond-scarab-launch_489.html
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