Eye Gaze Games - eye controlled games from SpecialEffect

[beckyfr0st]

We’re currently working with Sun and Moon Studios to build Eye Gaze Games, a website where eye gaze users - and other gamers with physical disabilities - can meet to play free, accessible web-based games together on a level playing field across the world.

Take a look at the Eye Gaze Games website

Why eye gaze?
Eye gaze technology lets you control your computer using eye movement alone, and we’ve been using it for over a decade directly with disabled people, building up a wealth of specialist technical and practical knowledge on the way.

There’s now a global need for games that are accessible for a wide range of eye gaze users. This website will meet that need by creating a global eye gaze games room. We also want the site to be a example to developers of the additional fun, inclusion and number of players that can be gained from making games eye gaze accessible.

Eye gaze now, much more soon
At the moment the Eye Gaze Games website is a work in progress with growing functionality, but over time we want it to be as inclusive as possible. Eye gaze gamers can currently play the games on the site at a range of difficulty levels against another player using switches, a mouse or a touchscreen on the same computer.

A huge part of our future plans is to add online multiplayer modes, making the games on the site globally accessible for as many people as possible. When it’s launched later this year, an eye gaze gamer will be able to chess online against another eye gaze player, for example.

The full range of control inputs are eye gaze, mice (eg head mice, joystick mice), an accessibility switch (auto scanning) or switches (manual scanning), or a touchscreen (iOS, Android and Windows). We've also added a step-by-step method of personalising the control settings and there’s a series of walkthrough videos.

Why browser-based games?
We chose to focus on browser-based games to allow as many users as possible around the world to play them on their eye gaze systems, even using a low spec computer. We also wanted to minimise set up, avoid downloads and reduce software incompatibility.

The board games we've started with have been requested time and again by people we’ve supported through eye gaze, but it doesn’t mean we’re only going limit the site to board games - we’ll be working on other genres, so watch this space!

The Future
We’re considering future plans to create resources for developers to help implement eye gaze into games which could be donated and added to the site.

Funding
The generous backing from our supporters enables us to make these games available to play for free.

 

[mazz0]

Are there games that are made uniquely for eye tracking input? I'm wondering if this input method opens up opportunities for hitherto unknown game design, and what sort of thing is best suited to it.

 

[beckyfr0st]

Are there games that are made uniquely for eye tracking input? I'm wondering if this input method opens up opportunities for hitherto unknown game design, and what sort of thing is best suited to it.

So, the games that will be featured on the Eye Gaze Games website mentioned above will all be specially made to work with eye tracking, but will also be playable using switches or keyboard and mouse inputs. The idea with this gaming site is that a person using eye control could play online against someone using regular inputs.
SpecialEffect have worked with many games over the years to enable eye control - just a few examples that I've seen are The Sims, FIFA, COD, Minecraft (see other thread re. EyeMine) Dirt, Forza... the list goes on!