The Challenge

In 2015 we did something that had never been done in Greece:

We created 3 special developed for blinds electronics games and we offered them to thousands children for free!

The correspondence was amazing. The children ask from us to continue.

What we have planned to do:

• Create an electronic games series (Memor-i) designed for blind children and offer them for free. It’s about the known memory game in which the player tries to find pairs of cards in a heap of overturned cards. Except that this game is designed for blind children. So the player seeks for similar sounds instead.
• Create educational versions: Instead of similar sounds, similar pair of sounds can be used, such as the name of a musical instrument and its sound or an english word and the corresponding greek world.
• Give the opportunity to everybody to upload their custom sounds and create new games that they can share with others.
• Give the opportunity for multiplayer experience
• Share our knowledge with everyone and ensure as always the viability of our work and the maximum impact in greek and foreign society

Why it is important

These last years, working with blind children and their teachers, we learn that the necessity for these games is huge. There are no quality games for these children. They lack of something very important: Their right to play and to learn through games. Alongside they don’t get familiar with computers and they do not get enough aid to develop important skills in time.

How we started

1. Supported by EAA and Norway Grants (We Are All Citizens program) we created 3 electronic games for the blind that we provided them for free in two languages. The correspondence was extraordinary: in a short period of time over than 3.500 children across the world play with these games and we got congratulations by both sides of the atlantic ocean but also wonderful childish smiles! Check out our work here. 
2. We continued the developing of Memor-i. Take a look at the results and the next steps!

Results

Impact: 8,000+ Downloads

  We created 3 new games 

1) Noah's Ark

Get in the ark and feed the animals. Practice your memory,attention and focus with the most fun way!

2) WIND Wind Music Game  

•  Find the musical instrument 
•  Find the type of a musical instrument

Learn about musical instruments and their types through a melodic game.And of course by   practice of your memory, attention and focus...

  We created 7 more games

3) Language (synonyms, opposites)
Practice your greek language skills by finding pairs of synonyms and opposites!

4) Geography of Europe (Capitals)
Find the capitals of the European countries and also learn fun information for each country!

5) We are creating Norwegian versions of 5 of our games
In cooperation with the Norwegian Embassy.

  Memor-i studio: Now everybody can create their own game

• We give the chance to all, even those with no knowledge of programming, to create their own version of Memori! Through an easy to use and online platform, people from all over the world can create new games and share them for free. This way the effort of every one of us can create increasing multiple results!
• We created 2 new educational games: Language and Geography
• We are training organisations and experts on how to bring the kids close to these games.
• Memor-i is a game that can be used not only by people who are blind, but also by people who have no problem in their sight. These applications are also very useful in cases of people with  Mental deficits. The educational versions of Memor-i can be used by anyone and so the impact is increasing!
• Memor-i Studio is ready!
• Up to 20 games have been created by the users.

Memor-i studio is been developed with the funding of the John S. Latsis. Foundation

 We have developed a brand new version of Memori Studio. Now with the Memori Online players can play online with other players.

The benefits of this version:

• We help the co-operation between blind and sighted people. With the online gaming children can develop new skills and acquire knowledge.
• We create online inclusive games: Now kids can play together without knowing (or interested) if their teammate is blind or not
• We help special education instructors: as they can use this version to achieve their educational goals.
• We are studying online gaming related to blindness and sharing this knowledge with everyone (lessons learnt)
• We explore the use of online educational games and not only for blindness (such as mental retardation, etc.)

  We provide the games for free

You can find them and download them here: www.gamesfortheblind.org

  We share the source code

You can find the source code on GitHub ( Memor-i Noah's Ark, WIND music game), so that everyone can develop them further.

  We share the knowledge

All this time we learned a lot: We cooperate with blind people and with special education instructors. We made tests along with people who have problems in their sight during our development and in the final stages of production. We made a summarize of our experience and share it free with everybody. Why?

• We help special education instructors to determine their educational goals and find new ways of using it, etc 
• We help people who tend the blind: To know which is  the best way to introduce them to these games (and not only for fun). 
• We help programmers and game designers:  to create new games for the blind.

Check here what we learned (Lessons Learned) form the development of games for the blind.

Funding

1. To achieve the goal, we organized a micro crowd-funding and we gathered 10.000 euros (you may find out more here:  go.scify.gr/game). This amount was sufficient for the programming infrastructure and the first game.
2. Thanks to the kind support of Wind Company, we managed to create two music editions of the game.
3. The "Memor-i Studio" project is implemented by SciFY with the funding of the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation.
4. The Norwegian editions of the games are funded by Norway via its Embassy in Greece.
5. Once more time John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation is funding the next steps of this project and more specifically the version Memori Online of Memor-i studio project.

Play here!

Memori

1. Noah's Ark

Get into the Noah's Ark and feed the animals. But be careful: they wish to eat with their pair. Off course, take care so that the lion and the goat won't dine together. Put on your headphones for a better experience (if they are stereo, even better) and the game is on! Practice your memory, attention, perception in a very joyful way.

Download and play Noah's Ark here: http://memoristudio.scify.org/games

2.  Wind Music Game

• Find the musical instrument
• Find the category of the musical instrument

The music performance is starting in a while and the instruments are not in the right position yet! Will you help the musicians to be on time? Learn the instruments, their sound and their category by playing a melodic game and off course by practicing memory, attention, perception...

3.   Language (Synonyms - Opposites)

Practice the Greek language finding synonyms and opposites!

4.   European Geography (Capitals)

Find the capitals of various European states, learn amusing elements for each country. Put on your headphones for a better experience (if they are stereo, even better) and the game is on!

All of the above games can be played equally by sighted. Really, just by seeing, you think it will be easy for you?

Build your own game here!

Memori Studio

Create your version of Memor-i even without special programming skills!

Though a fun and easy online platform, people from all over the world can create new games and share them for freely and of course with no costs involved! This way our work creates through you even more impact and results!

Click here to create your game now!

Play Online

Memori Online

We have developed a brand new version of Memori Studio. Now with the Memori Online players can play online with other players. The benefits of this version:

• We help the co-operation between blind and sighted people. With the online gaming children can develop new skills and acquire knowledge.
• We create online inclusive games: Now kids can play together without knowing (or interested) if their teammate is blind or not
• We help special education instructors: as they can use this version to achieve their educational goals.
• We are studying online gaming related to blindness and sharing this knowledge with everyone (lessons learnt)
• We explore the use of online educational games and not only for blindness (such as mental retardation, etc.)

The version Memori Online of Memor-i studio project is funded by the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation.

Next Steps

Project ID

• Duration:03/2016-08/2016 (First Version), 08/2016-11/2016 (Second Version), 12/2016-02/2017 (Norwegian Version), 02/2017-05/2017 (Third Version), 07/2017-11/2017 (Fourth Version)
• Funding: Crowdfunding (First Version), Wind Hellas (Second Version), Embassy of Norway in Greece (Norwegian Version), John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation (Third & Fourth Version)