Affordable Haptic Joystick for Immersive and Inclusive Gaming

This paper presents a new haptic joystick designed to significantly enhance the gaming experience in video game environments by incorporating physical feedback that simulates touch. Touch is a fundamental sense in the development of spatial representation, which is important for understanding and interacting with the world around us. Multisensory experiences, such as combining sight, sound, and touch, have been shown to be essential for learning and engagement, particularly in the context of education. The haptic joystick aims to increase interactivity and immersion within virtual environments, making it especially beneficial for children's learning. By offering tactile feedback that reflects in-game actions, the joystick helps the player feel more immersed and connected to the game world. A preliminary evaluation conducted with six children suggests that the addition of haptic feedback significantly improves the gaming experience, offering a more immersive and engaging environment for learning. Moreover, the system shows potential for use in educational contexts, particularly for children with vision or motor challenges. It provides tactile guidance to improve accessibility for these children, allowing for more precise control and enabling them to engage more effectively with the game. Developed with a focus on affordability and user-centered design, this haptic joystick could offer both educational and recreational benefits, supporting the integration of sensory feedback into play for children with diverse needs and abilities.