International Conference on Virtual Reality (ICVR)

Another Roehampton MSc student presented his project titled "BlindPlayVR: A Sound-Based Game for Blind Users with Adaptive Difficulty", in an international conference. Congratulations Hassan Iftikhar for the pristine presentation during the International Conference on Virtual Reality (ICVR), in Cardiff - Wales. Here's the abstract for this project: "BlindPlayVR is a virtual reality (VR) shooting game designed for people who are blind or visually impaired, aiming to address the lack of accessibility in immersive gaming environments. The objective of this study is to explore whether spatial audio, haptic feedback, and motion tracking can enable effective non-visual interaction in a real-time VR gameplay setting. The system was developed using Unity, FMOD, Steam Audio, and the Meta Quest 3 platform to deliver accurate spatial sound and responsive interaction. A user study was conducted with blindfolded participants to simulate non-visual conditions. Results indicate that users were able to detect and respond to enemies with an average accuracy of 78.6% using audio and haptic cues alone, with response times improving from approximately 50 seconds to 30 seconds over repeated trials. Head orientation and controller-based interaction contributed to both usability and immersion. These findings demonstrate that nonvisual VR gameplay is feasible and engaging without reliance on vision. The system provides a practical framework for accessible VR game design with applications in entertainment, training, and assistive technologies"