audibene, hear.com
Jump’n’Hear
World's first hearing test in a game
Role
Idea, prototype, code
Website
www.earverest.com
01
Problem
1 billion affected
According to the WHO, 1 billion teenagers worldwide are at risk of hearing loss. The consequences go far beyond hearing: those affected suffer from exclusion, insecurity, and often withdraw. The good news: if detected early, the consequences can be mitigated, and hearing loss can be stopped. The bad news: teenagers have more important things to do than listening to beeps during hearing tests for hours. So, let's hide the hearing test where they spend their time. In a Roblox game, for example.
02
Solution
Addressing young people where they are
67.3 million active players between the ages of 13 and 16 spend 4.6 billion (!) hours playing on Roblox every month. Interesting for us: Roblox is a platform where experiences are mostly solved visually. The platform, however, offers excellent acoustic design possibilities like spatial audio, the spatial distribution of sounds. With this knowledge, I designed and programmed three prototypes that translated classic, boring hearing tests into exciting game elements on Roblox.
03
Launch
Idea. Protoype. Bam.
Roblox itself helped me. The platform has created an open ecosystem for young developers – about 10% of all players create their own games. Although Lua as a scripting language is moderately documented, Roblox Studio as an IDE provides easy access. With the prototype, I was able to test assumptions, refine the concept, and attract partners for implementation. Together with our client audibene and its US brand hear.com, we turned the idea into an exciting game.
04
Launch
Blackout at Mt. Earverest
Excitement at Mt. Earverest: someone accidentally turned off the moon in the game world, plunging the world into darkness. A resident asks for help to turn the moon back on. Unfortunately, the switch is at the summit. In three challenges (which coincidentally correspond to three hearing test disciplines), players climb the summit and restore the light to the great joy of the residents.
04
Hearing impaired
Individual information, inclusive design
At the summit, players are greeted not only with a big thank you from the residents and a spectacular view but also with information on potential hearing issues. Calmly, teenagers are informed and encouraged to talk to their parents or hearing specialists about possible problems. As an additional service, audibene and hear.com have their own hotline with specially trained youth audiologists. All challenges were designed to be overcome even with hearing impairments. After a few failed attempts, the game directs players back into the game via a shortcut.
Page article on inclusive game design
05
Buzz
Clicks, PR, brand shift
In just the first week, the game achieved 17 million impressions with an average playtime of 8 minutes. For both the client and the agency, the game brought a lot of attention as innovative problem solvers. At the industry conference OMR – Online Marketing Rockstars – I presented the game and concept alongside our implementation partner headraft to several hundred attendees in a talk. Additionally, the game and its inclusive design were the main topics in an eight-page article in the industry magazine PAGE.