Novel 3D games for people with and without hearing loss

Over 90 million people in Europe currently suffer with hearing loss and with an aging community this is expected to rise significantly. Digital Hearing Aids (HAs) offer real opportunities to enhance hearing capability in different acoustic contexts, however understanding functionalities and calibration can seem overly complex. The 3D Tune-In project has developed a 3D toolkit including a sound spatialisation algorithm and hearing/hearing loss simulators as the basis of five novel digital games addressing challenges of hearing loss and hearing education for children and older adults. Early evaluations have demonstrated the opportunities for hearing impaired groups, as well as the digital games community.