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Task-Based Role-Playing VR Game for Supporting Intellectual Disability Therapies

Wen-Chun Chen, Santiago Berrezueta-Guzman, Stefan Wagner

TL;DR

This work addresses how to support therapy for children with ID via immersive VR. It introduces Space Exodus, a task-based VR RPG implemented on Meta Quest 2 using Unity, with five tasks designed to map in-game actions to real-world skills. A requirement elicitation phase with 15 experts, a functional test, and a pilot experiment with eight children yield evidence of system stability, usability, and 70–80% skill transfer, while highlighting VR discomfort and navigation challenges. The findings support VR as a promising ID-therapy tool and provide design recommendations (adaptive guidance, rewards, varied tasks) for future iterations and broader deployment. Overall, the study contributes empirical support and practical guidance for integrating VR-based therapy into ID rehabilitation programs.

Abstract

Intellectual Disability (ID) is characterized by deficits in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, necessitating customized therapeutic interventions to improve daily life skills. This paper presents the development and evaluation of Space Exodus, a task-based role-playing Virtual Reality (VR) game designed to support therapy for children with ID. The game integrates everyday life scenarios into an immersive environment to enhance skill acquisition and transfer. Functional tests and preliminary experiments demonstrated the system's stability, usability, and adaptability, with 70--80\% of participants demonstrating successful skill transfer to new challenges. Challenges, such as VR discomfort, controller misoperation, and task complexity, were identified, emphasizing the need for ergonomic improvements and adaptive guidance. The results provide empirical evidence supporting VR as a promising tool in ID therapy. Future work will focus on refining gameplay mechanics, enhancing user guidance, and expanding accessibility to broader populations.

Task-Based Role-Playing VR Game for Supporting Intellectual Disability Therapies

TL;DR

This work addresses how to support therapy for children with ID via immersive VR. It introduces Space Exodus, a task-based VR RPG implemented on Meta Quest 2 using Unity, with five tasks designed to map in-game actions to real-world skills. A requirement elicitation phase with 15 experts, a functional test, and a pilot experiment with eight children yield evidence of system stability, usability, and 70–80% skill transfer, while highlighting VR discomfort and navigation challenges. The findings support VR as a promising ID-therapy tool and provide design recommendations (adaptive guidance, rewards, varied tasks) for future iterations and broader deployment. Overall, the study contributes empirical support and practical guidance for integrating VR-based therapy into ID rehabilitation programs.

Abstract

Intellectual Disability (ID) is characterized by deficits in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, necessitating customized therapeutic interventions to improve daily life skills. This paper presents the development and evaluation of Space Exodus, a task-based role-playing Virtual Reality (VR) game designed to support therapy for children with ID. The game integrates everyday life scenarios into an immersive environment to enhance skill acquisition and transfer. Functional tests and preliminary experiments demonstrated the system's stability, usability, and adaptability, with 70--80\% of participants demonstrating successful skill transfer to new challenges. Challenges, such as VR discomfort, controller misoperation, and task complexity, were identified, emphasizing the need for ergonomic improvements and adaptive guidance. The results provide empirical evidence supporting VR as a promising tool in ID therapy. Future work will focus on refining gameplay mechanics, enhancing user guidance, and expanding accessibility to broader populations.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 12 sections, 3 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Related work
  3. Methodology
  4. Requirements Elicitation
  5. Materials
  6. Description of the game
  7. Functional Test
  8. Experiment
  9. Ethics Compliance
  10. Results
  11. Discussion
  12. Conclusions

Figures (3)

  • Figure 1: Activity diagram illustrating the user-centered research process berrezueta2022user.
  • Figure 2: Screenshot of the Space Exodus scenarios where the tasks are performed.
  • Figure 3: Children performing a functional test of the VR game, interacting with virtual objects using hand-tracking technology. Conducted under ethic-approved guidelines.