SONA – VR Adventure Game Designed by Visually Impaired People

With SONA, we explore VR game design inspired by the everyday navigational skills of blind people. Using headphones, a microphone, motion tracking, and sensory shoes, players embark on adventures built entirely from interactive 3D sound—navigating 80 square meters of VR-tracked space in complete darkness. They hear their footsteps on virtual terrain, use voice commands to control the game, and orient themselves through virtual echolocation. At gamescom congress, Adriani Botez and Thomas Meckel share insights from co-creating stories, game mechanics, and a full adventure game with 19 visually impaired game designers.