04/10/2026 – To the rhythm of darkness

Testing the accessibility of Rhythm Paradise Groove

A few weeks ago, at a camp for visually impaired children aged between 7 and 12, I had the opportunity to organise an activity where they had the chance to play a series of cooperative and competitive mini-games from the video game Rhythm Paradise Groove, using alternative controls with the Makey Makey controller.

For privacy reasons, I cannot share any photographs, but I would like to share my thoughts following this experience.

My main objective with this activity was to test the effectiveness of the mini-games featured in the video game. It is the first instalment in the series to have made a concerted effort to incorporate elements of accessibility for people with visual impairments. Such as voice-over narration of scenes and menu items.

By being able to assess how well their design and the proposed solutions work, my intention is to be able to use all this experience and analysis for the design and creation of future interactive experiences that involve the implementation of accessible solutions.

When designing the controls, I took into account that the experience would be used by children, and also that the nature of the mini-games encourages players to be quick and to press buttons repeatedly. Therefore, comfort and durability were factors that needed to be given careful consideration.

With Makey Makey, any object used as a button needs to complete a circuit. In this case, I solved this by attaching the clips from the negative pole wire to some >hair bands which I used as bracelets. As the main control, I used a mat and a sponge covered in aluminium foil so that they could be used as push buttons and could withstand heavy impacts.

As the maximum number of players was four, I had to organise several rounds. The help of the activity leaders was essential for this, as they kept the other children entertained during the sessions.

In each session, there was an introduction to the controls they were going to use. In the first few sessions, I realised how important it was to explain clearly how these worked, as the children were very keen to know what they were touching and how it would work.

After explaining the controls, names were assigned. The game offers the option to choose a short name for each participant so that scores can be announced later. In the first round, there was a bit of confusion because it wasn’t clear which of the default names corresponded to each controller. This was resolved in subsequent rounds by writing down each name next to the colour of its cable and checking with the children: I would say each player’s nickname and ask them to raise their hand.

When it came time to start each of the mini-games, a brief explanation was given. How it was played and what it involved, before moving on to putting it into practice in a trial session provided by the game. It’s a great feature to have this part, and it helps ensure that all players are on the same level when it comes to competing.

Several mini-games were tested, but due to problems with determining the order of turns in two of them were ultimately discarded. Despite attempts to resolve this by specifying whose turn it was at any given moment, the confusion was evident. As this timing clashed with the action range, and given that it was a rhythm-based game played with people with visual impairments, these mini-games had to be discarded. This left room for two others which proved very successful.

The first of these was based on being the first person to grab a slice of cake. The main mechanic was to wait for the right moment, dictated by a countdown that varied in pace depending on the round and which would also stop at random intervals. When it reached 0, the first person to press the button won the round. The first person to win three rounds won the game.

The second involved a race in which you had to follow the beat of the music to keep your stride. This varied at different points during the game and the speed gradually increased towards the end. Here, together with Mar, the instructor who was with me, I realised that we needed to mark the beats to help out, as they were a bit difficult to pick out. This added a fun touch that made the experience more relaxed and encouraged greater participation on our part.

The overall reception was quite positive. Although the first round was a bit chaotic due to problems with name allocation and the fact that some mini-games didn’t fit in well.

After taking these factors into account and making improvements in the following rounds, the reception was very good indeed. Everyone wanted to play again and many returned to join the new players to offer them encouragement and advice. This created a collaborative atmosphere.

This experience has renewed my motivation to continue researching and creating interactive experiences that are accessible to people with visual impairments. It has been very heartening to see that all the children, regardless of their level of vision, were playing on an equal footing.

I would like to thank José Ángel for the trust he placed in me by granting me permission and the necessary space to carry out the activity without any hindrance. For treating me as one of the family.