Etherea: a Video Game for Individuals with Motor Disabilities with Eye-Tracking-Based Interaction

Accessibility in video games is essential to enable people with severe motor impairments to engage in interactive experiences. Traditional input methods, such as controllers and keyboards, create barriers for these players, requiring alternative interaction techniques. This paper presents Etherea, a video game that uses eye-tracking technology as the primary input method, allowing players with limited mobility to navigate and interact within a 3D environment. To evaluate user engagement and responsiveness to in-game stimuli, a case-study research was conducted on an individual affected by Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Adolescents with SMA often face limited gaming options, as few 3D games are developed with their unique needs in mind, given the condition’s short life expectancy. ElectroDermal Activity (EDA) data was collected using a medical-grade wrist-worn device. Heatmaps were generated to visualize these physiological responses, providing insight into the emotional and cognitive engagement of the player. The findings highlight feasibility, potential, and challenges of real-time gaze-based interaction when individuals with severe motor impairments are involved.