Creating Audio Games Online with a Browser-Based Editor

Abstract

Play has been identified as a fundamental human desire (see, e.g., Huizinga's seminal work on "Homo Ludens"). To little surprise then, people have also used sound in play and to create games. Since the advent of the personal computer, the genre of audio games invites sighted and visually impaired people alike to play interactive computer games solely based on sound renderings. While audio games are popular, especially among blind people, there is a lack of development tools to support audio game design and to foster further growth of this genre. For this reason, we demonstrate a browser-based audio game editor that we have developed over the last year or so, drawing on the experience and needs of seven long-term audio gamers. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first application or tool of its kind. Its key features are easy usage (including instant game play and sound rendering) and open source development to increase sustainability and possible impact.