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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 9, 2025

Development of an Audio-based Virtual Gaming Environment to Assist with Navigation Skills in the Blind

Development of an Audio-based Virtual Gaming Environment to Assist with Navigation Skills in the Blind

Published on: March 27, 2013

Co-Design of a Virtual Reality Multiplayer Adventure Game for Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Mixed

Silvia Gabrielli¹, Melanie Cristofolini^2,3, Marco Dianti^1,3

¹Digital Health Research, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Trento, Italy.

JMIR Serious Games

|December 8, 2023

Summary

Virtual reality (VR) games effectively train social skills in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Zentastic VR game showed good user acceptance and improved social skills in a feasibility study.

Keywords:

autism co-design multiplayer game design serious games social skills interventions virtual reality environments

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Last Updated: Jul 9, 2025

Development of an Audio-based Virtual Gaming Environment to Assist with Navigation Skills in the Blind

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Published on: March 27, 2013

Development of a Virtual Reality Assessment of Everyday Living Skills

Development of a Virtual Reality Assessment of Everyday Living Skills

Published on: April 23, 2014

The Immersive Cleveland Clinic Virtual Reality Shopping Platform for the Assessment of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living

The Immersive Cleveland Clinic Virtual Reality Shopping Platform for the Assessment of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living

Published on: July 28, 2022

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Psychology
Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

Virtual reality (VR) offers promising technological solutions for social skills training in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
VR's multisensory and multiplayer capabilities can increase motivation and access to training.
Inclusive design is crucial for VR social skills training acceptability in ASD.

Purpose of the Study:

To present the inclusive design process for the Zentastic VR adventure game.
To foster social skills training in adolescents with ASD.
To investigate the feasibility of Zentastic VR as a training environment.

Main Methods:

Involved adolescents with ASD and therapists in the inclusive design process.
Conducted an exploratory acceptability study of an initial VR prototype.
Performed a multisession feasibility evaluation of the final VR game release.

Main Results:

The feasibility study demonstrated high acceptability of the Zentastic VR game by adolescents with ASD.
Significant enhancement of social skills was observed from baseline to posttraining.
Multiplayer VR sessions with therapists facilitated training.

Conclusions:

VR-based games show preliminary evidence of benefits for training adolescents with ASD.
The Zentastic VR game is a feasible and acceptable tool for social skills enhancement.
VR training may benefit other neurodevelopmental disorders.