ChangingDay, a Glasgow-based start-up, has raised more than £670,000 to create virtual reality games for autistic people.
The funding will enable the studio to develop its first game, aimed at the autistic community, which will be released in 2022. The company’s games will make the most of the new generation of untethered, low cost VR headsets, such as the Oculus Quest 2.
The investment came from Scottish Enterprise, alongside a number of private investors.
ChangingDay works closely with autistic people and supporting organisations to ensure that their games are focused on benefits to autistic players. The company is also aiming to also employ autistic people whenever possible.
Founders Alison Lang (CEO) and Nick Lang (creative director), whose daughter Natasha is autistic, are building a game to help those on the autism spectrum feel more comfortable and confident in everyday situations that they can find challenging.
Alison Lang told Insider:
It will put the autistic player in a safe space, in a world they control on their own terms, where they can make their own choices without the world demanding they fit in with neuro-typical expectations.
A virtual environment is an ideal way to nurture these skills before encouraging the autistic person to try them out in the real world.
The Scottish Games Network will be speaking to the Scottish Games Network in the very near future to find out more about their games and approach to gaming for a very underrepresented community.
