More EyeToy games

Jamie is not terribly good at writing, drawing, or using a games controller. In common with many autistics, he has some trouble with fine motor movements. Due to his communication problems, we don't know whether he understands the relationship between mouse or controller movements, and what happens on the screen.

Until recently, console games were not an option for Jamie. He might watch, but he soon lost interest in participating when it became too difficult. Then we bought an EyeToy.

The EyeToy is a small webcam that plugs into the Playstation 2 and sits on the TV. It comes with EyeToy : Play, a series of 12 games and various other gizmos such as video messaging. Instead of using a controller, you stand in front of the camera and your actions are filmed so that you become part of the game. To start a game, for example, you just wave your hand over a circle marked "start".

The interface is so simple that there is very little need to explain to someone how it works. When a player can see himself on the screen, how to play is often obvious in an immediate and visual way. Many of the games are equally straightforward. Wishi Washi involves cleaning windows as quickly as possible. In Keep Ups you have to keep a football up, and Kung Fu is again quite simple. Jamie grasped these straight away. The bar has been lowered for many people with communication difficulties and / or problems with fine motor movements. Other games require more co-ordination and take a little more initial explanation.

Although the EyeToy is not the first game controller to simplify the gaming interface, it is the first to make it quite so straightforward, and the first with such a range of possibilities. Wheels for driving games have been around for some years, but they do not show your own face inside the car you are meant to be driving, and they are limited to one type of game. The EyeToy games are quite physical, so the user can get a good workout without even realising it. For parents worried about sedentary and unfit children, this game may be very useful.

Not all of the emphasis is on competitive gaming. You can record up to 60 seconds of video, and also observe the unusual effects in the playroom. Bees and spiders follow you around, you can shimmer or shed rainbow-coloured dust, or just watch the fish go by. This is a good way to calm down after more strenuous games.

The EyeToy is marketed with images of people of all ages demonstrating the games, fun for all the family. So it could be used to promote social participation and turn-taking. It is clearly good exercise, and there is the possibility that using it will improve a player's co-ordination.

However, as always, there are some drawbacks:

• It is not wireless, so children who chew through cables will have problems.
• Hyperactive children may get overstimulated by it.
• Although the EyeToy is about the same price as most games, the Playstation 2 console may be beyond the means of many families with autistic or disabled children.
• Currently there are very few Eye Toy games available.

It is too soon to say whether the EyeToy will revolutionise gaming or be just another fad. What is more certain is that for a number of autistics it has the potential to make console gaming more accessible, and it could open up the various benefits of gaming to them. After all, autistics deserve the opportunity to play just as much as anyone else.