Gaming fan Paige, a teenager with dyskinetic cerebral palsy, uses a \u2018headmouse\u2019 to control her computer and speech aid. It\u2019s a little unit that sits on the computer and tracks a small reflective dot on her forehead, essentially turning her head movement into mouse movement.<\/p>\n
She was delighted to discover recently that by pairing her headmouse with our EyeMine software, she could fully access and enjoy Minecraft.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew EyeMine worked with eye gaze technology but we didn\u2019t know if it would work with a headmouse,\u201d said her mother, \u201cbut we downloaded it anyway alongside Minecraft and left the PC running.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I looked round, there was Paige busily using her headmouse to create a Minecraft world! After that, there was no stopping her.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s enabled the freedom of independent gaming for Paige and she\u2019s quickly become a talented player. But the family has realised that the impact of what she\u2019s achieving extends beyond simply playing Minecraft.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t over-emphasise how much of a difference this has made,\u201d said her father. \u201cParticularly during the first lockdown, which was tough for Paige. She was missing her friends and teachers so being able to immerse herself so extensively in the game was a much-needed escape.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s benefitted her in other ways too: she\u2019s been able to play completely independently for the first time, and it\u2019s unlocked so much creativity and motivation. Her headmouse skills have also really improved through playing, and she\u2019s now even more proficient at using her computer for writing, drawing and social media.\u201d<\/p>\n
We\u2019re so glad that Paige has been able to dive into independent gaming so brilliantly and that the EyeMine\/headmouse combination is such an all-round win-win. Thank you Paige for letting us share your story, and we look forward to celebrating more gaming progress with you in the future!<\/p>\n
Below: The house that Paige built: A short clip of Paige walking around in Minecraft using head movement and \u2018clicking\u2019 by hovering the cursor over items and buttons for a fixed length of time (note the red circles that indicate this). The lower half of the screen contains a set of the EyeMine commands.<\/em><\/p>\n