Two virtual reality games that simulate the blurry, disorienting experience of being short-sighted without glasses, like riding a bike or recognising a friend on the street. The goal is to help people without myopia genuinely understand and empathise with what short-sighted people go through every day.
Abstract
Myopia is an eye condition that makes it difficult for people to focus on faraway objects. It has become one of the most serious eye conditions worldwide and negatively impacts the quality of life of those who suffer from it. Although myopia is prevalent, many non-myopic people have misconceptions about it and encounter challenges empathizing those who suffer from it. In this research, we developed two virtual reality (VR) games, (1) ”Myopic Bike” and (2) ”Say Hi”, to provide a means for the non-myopic population to experience the difficulties of myopic people. Our two games simulate two inconvenient daily life scenarios (riding a bicycle and greeting friends on the street) that myopic people encounter when not wearing glasses. The goal is to facilitate empathy in people with non-myopia for those who suffer from myopia. We evaluated four participants’ game experiences through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Overall, our two VR games can create an engaging and non-judgmental experience for the non-myopic people that has potential to facilitate empathizing with those who suffer from myopia.
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