'Colorblind game' can enhances awareness of color blindness

Abstract

This study investigates whether awareness of color blindness can be enhanced through a virtual colorblind gaming experience. We conducted two user studies—one with undergraduates and one with working adults—using ‘colorblind’ color schemes in a digital game to explore whether such an experience enhances their assessment of their own knowledge about color blindness and awareness of its associated disadvantages in society, workplaces, and private life. The results with undergraduates showed increases in general, but not much in workplace disadvantages. In contrast, the results with working adults showed a significant improvement in the assessment of knowledge but not in other aspects. Thus, a virtual colorblind gaming experience can enhance awareness of color blindness, yet the interpretation of the experience may vary significantly depending on the players’ backgrounds.