Imagine if anyone could easily create educational electronic games. Imagine now that these were automatically inclusive, so that blind kids could also play. Well, this is not imagination any more, it has just happened!
The Greek non-profit company Science For You (www.scify.org) has developed the innovative platform Memor-i Studio. It is an online portal that allows anyone, without any programming, to create Memory-type electronic games in any language and freely share them. Yet, what is really impressive, is that games developed using Memor-i Studio can also be played by people who are blind! Using the platform, SciFY has already created 2 games (in Greek), special education teachers with blind children have started creating their own variations, and SciFY prepares games in English and more languages! The project has been funded by John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation.
Electronic Games for the Blind
SciFY has been creating educational electronic games for the blind for 2 and a half years, trying to satisfy a huge need. SciFY has developed 6 games that are already been used by institutions that support people with blindness (You can find them at www.gamesfortheblind.org). The reception of the games has been fantastic: they have been downloaded more than 5,000 times in Europe and the US, and that number is constantly increasing. About a year ago, special education teachers asked SciFY to create a tool that would allow them to create their own Memory games, based on their needs. Thanks to a funding by John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, SciFY has developed Memor-i Studio, a user-friendly and specialized educational tool.
Memor-i Studio: A platform for creativity
Memor-i Studio allows users to create games for educational and recreational purposes, that are suitable for people who are sighted, as well as those who are blind. The user uploads sounds and pictures, and the game is automatically created. Schools for the blind have already started using it, and are creating their own games, with the contribution of children who are blind.
What is Memor-i Studio?
Memor-i Studio is a platform that allows anyone without programming skills to create new inclusive electronic games. You can:
- download games for free
- create new Memor-i games with new sounds and images
- create variants (‘clones’) of a game and enrich it with additional images and sounds.
Who can use Memor-i Studio?
The games are created through the platform are targeted at people with blindness (audio file), people with visual impairments (black and white image) and sighted (color image).
New games for all
- Using Memor-i studio, SciFY has developed 2 new (Greek) variations of the game around Geography and Language. It is also developing versions in English and more languages.
- You can play the free games and create your own variations at http://memoristudio.scify.org/
- Learn more about Memor-i Studio or play the 6 free electronic games for blind children SciFY has created.
For more information, contact:
Vassilis Giannakopoulos, vgia@scify.org, +30 211 400 4192, +30 697 205 8648
We’d love to hear from anyone who tries these games. Let us know what you think!