Snoezel Tuin

*The web build only supports two of the games, download the full game below*

Nederlandse uitleg onderaan

Welcome to "Snoezel Tuin"!

"Snoezel Tuin" ("Snoezel Garden") is an interactive sensory play tool developed for children with special needs. Most video games for children are filled with colours and sounds, which can be overwhelming for special needs kids, making it difficult for them to participate during play time at school. This game is designed to allow all the children to play together and for everyone to be included in the fun!

Who are we?

"Snoezel Tuin" was created by a team of students at Howest University of Applied Sciences, as a semester long project. We named ourselves "The Blue House".

The game was created at the request of Katholieke Leersteuncentra West-Vlaanderen, a West Flemish organization that assists schools in supporting special needs students. 

We designed the game as a team, consulting with the client, and made it come to life while taking on the following roles:

• Team lead, lead developer: Rico Parmentier
• Developer: Bonaventhure Turpyn
• Lead artist, tech artist: Milena Smyk
• Artist: Patrisija Purina
• Sound designer, co-producer: Elias Van Dyck

What is "Snoezel"?

"Snoezel" or "snoezelen" is a Dutch word for sensory play. It's a form of therapy for people with autism, intellectual disabilities or dementia. The person is brought to a sensory room, designed to be a soothing and stimulating environment for the senses. This is what we are trying to simulate in our game!

Technical requirements

"Snoezel Tuin" is made to be played on touchscreen digital whiteboards in classrooms. It can also be played with a mouse on a computer, to help train hand-eye coordination. Currently, it will not work on mobile devices.

The game can be played by multiple people simultaneously.  We recommend 1-4 players, depending on the size of the screen and the power of the device. However, the more the merrier!

Mini-games

Each area in the game has unique soothing and stimulating elements, providing players with a variety of experiences. Our priority while designing was to keep special needs children in mind: no flashing lights, no sudden loud noises, no extremely bright colours. Each level also includes a cognitive challenge, which teachers can use when guiding disabled students in learning.

You can exit back to the main menu by simply clicking 5 times in the top left corner. If you are playing on a laptop or computer, you can also use escape.

Firefly forest

In the firefly forest, the players can move the fireflies around, and make them fly in circles, orbiting their finger. If they tap on one of the bugs, its light changes colour. 

The cognitive challenge of this area is to drag the fireflies into the jar. They can only do so if the colour of the firefly matches the jar's lid. The fireflies can be set free by tapping the jar.

Bubble pond

In the bubble pond, bubbles can be popped and created. The players can tap a bubble to pop it, or tap an empty space to make a new bubble. There are three variants of this level: all empty bubbles, bubbles with shapes inside, and bubbles with animals inside. This creates a cognitive challenge of popping bubbles with certain pictures.

Cloudy fields

The cloudy fields are focused on sound. The players can tap or drag the clouds, dropping raindrops that play a musical note. Down on the grass, there are three farm animals, which can be tapped to play the sound of the animal.

Dandelion meadow

In the dandelion meadow, the players can pluck dandelion seeds off the stems. They can tap them to make them fly up into the sky, or drag them into a pile of dirt. Next to each dirt pile, there is a sign with dots on it. The dots signify the amount of seeds needed to grow a new dandelion.