Tactris: Inclusive Falling Block Puzzle Game with Audio-Tactile Effects for Visually Impaired People

The purpose of this study is to develop an action puzzle game that is easy to play for visually impaired people, and to expand the number of visually impaired people participating in e-sports. To this end, we developed a prototype of Tactris, a falling-puzzle game that can be played by using auditory and tactile information, and evaluated the ease of use and playability of the game for six visually impaired people. We have been studying the presentation method, operation method, and game rules necessary to realize a falling object puzzle game that can be played by visually impaired people, and have aimed to develop a falling object puzzle game that combines voice, sound effects, and tactile illustrations. We aimed to research and develop a puzzle game that presents the situation in the game by combining audio, sound effects, and tactile illustrations. Since this interface uses dynamically changing tactile diagrams, it is expected to be used as a content to efficiently promote understanding of tactile perception in education for the visually impaired. It will also help to improve the tactile skills of dynamic tactile diagrams. Six visually impaired people evaluated the ease of use and playability of the game, and although the ease of use remained an issue, there was a strong need to play the game repeatedly.