Games Strive for Therapy, Fun and Inclusivity
Games Strive for Therapy, Fun and Inclusivity
Games Strive for Therapy, Fun and Inclusivity
April 26, 2021
Summary
With the help of game designers, speech pathologists and aphasia community members, he and his team at Aphasia Games for Health are testing interactive games to make improving communication fun.
"We didn't invent the idea of games for aphasia, but we're finding ways to be more inclusive, accessible and creative for people within the aphasia community."
"We want these games to be therapeutic, fun and adaptive," said Kathryn Hymes, who along with her partner, Hakan Seyalioglu at California-based Thorny Games, is one of the designers involved with developing the games.
Hymes said there are numerous games on the market today that can easily be adjusted to be aphasia-friendly, and hopes Aphasia Games for Health will be used as a template for these games to do so.
The mother-son duo are co-founders of the nonprofit Aphasia Recovery Connection and have been working with Thorny Games for game design, including testing and consultation.
He said games such as Aphasia Games for Health's allow for practice, an important recovery step for people with aphasia.
"I have made friends playing games and I know people who played games with me online who later played the same game with their grandchildren," he said.
Reference
Games strive for therapy, fun and inclusivity. (2021, April 26). Retrieved July 30, 2021, from https://www.pittwire.pitt.edu/news/games-strive-therapy-fun-and-inclusivity