Exploring the Use of the SoundVizVR Plugin with Game Developers in the Development of Sound-Accessible Virtual Reality Games

Abstract

Based on a virtual reality (VR) sound visualization indicator system named “SoundVizVR” proposed and evaluated in a previous research, we developed a “SoundVizVR Plugin” for the Unity platform which enabled developers to adopt the SoundVizVR system in their VR applications and games. In this study, we worked with two VR game developers to explore the usability of the SoundVizVR Plugin and how it impacted the view on accessibility from the game developers’ perspectives. The developers used the SoundVizVR Plugin for one week to integrate it into their current projects or design new games with the plugin. According to the findings of the study process, we provide game design practices for making sounds in VR games accessible and suggestions on optimizing the developer experience of a sound accessibility plugin for the Unity platform.