Ideas for a mini sensory room game?

Help and Feedback Game Design Support
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#1

I’m creating a virtual sensory room for neurodivergent players like me, and I need some ideas on what to include!
Ideas from autistic, ADHD, and otherwise neurodivergent people are encouraged and more heavily considered!

For those unaware of what a sensory room is, it’s a normally quiet space set aside for neurodivergent people to unwind, play, take care of themselves, and more, with focus on how we perceive sensations (hence “sensory”) as opposed to neurotypical people.

I’ve included a TON of stuff so far, but what I’ve built is so big that I still have space to fill!
What it features already includes: “soft play” replicas, slow spinning gears, interactable moving items, interactable toys, pillows, chairs, tents, screens to draw on, buttons to press, glowing interactable objects, a slide, chairs hanging from the ceiling, and more.

I’ve already been suggested a sound board of sorts, but chose against it since I’m personally overstimulated by noise, and many others are too.

I am working on readable books, too! If anyone has ideas for what I can write a mini-book on, that’d be great. I’m trying to focus those on common special interests, like dinosaurs. Input from other ND people here is especially appreciated; tell me your special interests and hyperfixations!

In short, ideas for “play” items, sensory room-typical toys, interactables, and mini-books would be wonderful. I want to focus on player comfort!

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#2

Your idea isn’t possible by the current technology. The only stimulus you can emulate is sound and sight, having these as your sole source of output makes your concept fall short. Most of the sensory object you listed requires some touch sensation, only achievable by a haptic generator; thus might not have a complete experience you’re looking to achieve.

It’s completely fine if you’re only planning on targeting those senses, but you’d better use the current sources you have at their best. I’m talking about smooth animations, engineered sound, and control ease.

Since you’re specifically looking for toys, I would like a bunch of magnet cubes to gum each other, I want a satisfying click when they connect forcefully, I want cubes to be responsive to another; should coalesce properly too. Seems demanding, but I’ve never seen these recreated virtually before Virtual toys are fun to play with when they maximize the use of various stimuli the developer has access to.

Since you’re specifically looking for toys, I would like a bunch’a magnet cubes to gum each other, I want a satisfying click when they connect forcefully, I want cubes to be responsive to another; should coalesce properly too. Seems demanding, but I’ve never seen these recreated virtually before

Virtual toys are fun to play with when they maximize the use of various stimuli the developer has access to.

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#3

well…vr is kinda what your looking for, but only sight and hearing

#4

(also replying to @foxnoobkite too)

I know I can’t emulate genuine sensory items beyond sight and sound for a game. Kinda a given. Bit of neglecting that I’m autistic myself.

It’s more in a sense of watching how a player can influence an object. I stim in video games just as much as I do real life, mainly via character movement. Kicking around virtual items, watching how the physics responds to something I do, or just shimmying my character back and forth. It’s not me actively searching for the detail in a game or how well made it is, I’m just stimming through the game. In my case, I find it just as good as physical stims (running my hand along things, tangling my fingers into wires, etc). It’s definitely not true for everyone, but when virtual is the best you got, it beats having nothing at all.

I’ve done a lot of focus on player interaction! Attaching objects to strings so players can see how their actions make the physics move them- a bit of a fake version of tactile sensory stims. Little things like that, as-close-as-you-can-get things.

I could definitely try to do something like those strong magnetic toys. I’d have to do some digging to see what I could do to emulate it, but I’m sure there’s a way.

#5

I’m going to say that it would be hard, but you still could add calming stuff. Water comes off very calming to me and many autistic people, and sprinklers do as well.

I would suggest having like a water mill.