Every now and then, as a journalist, a press release lands upon my virtual desk that stands out because it relates to ‘a good thing’ and one of them arrived today. In fact, it relates to a number of good things:
Good Thing Number One
It raises awareness of what it is like to live in a world when you are both deaf and blind, and by so doing encourage people to help those for whom deafblindness is more than a computer simulation. Deafblindness is a combination of both sight and hearing difficulties. Some of these people are completely deaf and blind, but others have some remaining use of one or both senses. It is estimated there are two million people over 60 who have a dual sensory impairment. Causes of deafblindness include premature birth and exposure to rubella during pregnancy, which can cause babies to be born deafblind. Sense therefore supports MMR which has proven to be the most effective vaccination program against rubella. Some genetic conditions, such as Usher syndrome, can also result in deafblindness. People can also become deafblind at any time through illness, accident or in older age. Further information can be found at Sense.
Good Thing Number Two
It offers to help them by helping you to get back some valuable storage space while doing your bit for the environment, by recycling your old mobile phones through the UK based National Deafblind and Rubella Association ‘Sense’ charity which will get between £1 and £100 per mobile donated this way.
Good Thing Number Three
It does all of this by virtue of an online game which will run for 8 weeks starting from Monday 26th March.
Web development agency Sense Internet has teamed up with the National Deafblind and Rubella Association to create the ‘Sense-less’ game which has been specially designed to simulate what it could be like to experience failing sight and hearing. Sense-less involves clicking alternate colored screens on the mobiles depicted, in a specified sequence designed into the game. The longer a player stays within the sequence, the higher the score achieved. The game gradually gets harder to play due to visual and sound distortions, which attempts to simulate some types of deafblindness. The game can also be played without the distortion where they player has keep up with the sequence in a high octane version which increases in speed after each level is completed.
Aidan Cook, Managing Director of Sense Internet, told me "we are delighted to be working with Sense and hope to increase its profile among the online community and to promote the Sense mobile phone recycling scheme. We saw particular synergy in helping Sense utilize our online gaming expertise."
You can play the game here from Monday.