VIP SIMULATOR – AWARENESS-RAISING AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE USING VR TECHNOLOGY
AUTHORS: MICHEL & HANNES ROEVER
Tolerance, empathy and understanding for the problems and needs of others cannot simply be activated or assumed to be a given. Only experiences and exchanges can be thought-provoking and ultimately lead to changes in behaviour. Virtual reality applications offer an excellent oppor- tunity for these experiences.
The Visually Impaired Person (VIP) Simulator, a virtual reality application, simulates various eyesight restric - tions in different virtual environments and allows users to try out aids such as magnifying glasses, long canes and smartphones. It seeks to help sensitise experts, family members and as many other people as necessary and provide an understanding of VIPs’ perceptions. The original motivation came from Michel Roever, who is affected by a progressive retinal disease and losing his eyesight, who wanted to be able to respond to the question “How do you actually see?”. He and his brother Hannes Roever began developing the app in 2017. The app is designed as a simulation, but deliberately incorporates playful elements. For example, rewards are given for completing tasks. The environment also invites users to interact and try things out; objects can be moved, manipulated or destroyed. The game’s mascot, Oggi, functions as an “aid” who is controlled remotely and through whose eyes the players see their surroundings. One highlight of the app is the operator mode, where a second person can both follow what the players can see on the screen and actively inter- vene in what is going on. The app can now be used in a wide range of situations: by ophthalmologists, who often do not really know how their patients see, by family members of those affected, by integration experts, and by educational and youth work teaching staff who are focussing on the subject or work with children and young people with visual impairments.
The VIP simulator was used for the first time in inter - national youth work in 2019, first as part of IJAB’s Vision:Inclusion project and since then in various education centres. The following can be said with regard to (international) youth work. On the one hand, the VR experience itself – irrespective of content – is described as impressive. Generally, despite the increasingly low costs for VR equipment in seminar and presentation settings, around a third of young participants have not yet tried out VR. On the other, groups are becoming more inclusive. There is greater need to raise awareness of partici- pants without impairments. It is less a question of trig- gering concern, more an issue of sensitive interaction with visually impaired persons, for instance not placing drinking glasses on the floor during a seminar. The VIP simulator can be tried out in two locations, Berlin and Cologne. The app can also be used in semi - nars, with participants testing the system and sharing their experiences. For instance, the simulator will soon be presented to members of the deaf association. Hannes Roever was responsible for the technical development of the simulation.
CONTACT
Michel & Hannes Roever E-Mail: vip@bonogames.de Website: vip.bonogames.de
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