The Typhlosphere: Intersensoriality in the Use of Video Games by Visually Impaired Youth

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71164/socialmedicine.v19i3.2026.2349

Keywords:

cognition, technology, accessibility, serious games, visual disability

Abstract

We analyze the recreational video game experience of visually impaired youth as a bridge to understanding the role of sound and touch in their experience. The methodology consists of classical ethnography based on interviews and participant observation, combined with embodied digital ethnography utilizing interaction, conversation, and participation across social networks and websites. The results are interpreted through the lens of enactivism, which posits that cognition is mediated by the body. We find that youth learn to play through interaction with other young people, utilizing sound and tactile sensations. We conclude that the digital-recreational world of blind youth is the result of the linking of the body, technology, and social interactions.

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Published

2026-09-01

Issue

Section

Original Research