UTSA students develop video games for disabled veterans

Andrew Sanetra, 21, second from left, explains a video game designed for U.S. Army veteran, Anne Robinson, 48, during a presentation between fellow students at the University of Texas at San Antonio main campus on Dec. 14. With Sanetra are from left, Trase Westbrook, 21, Clifford Hill, 28, and Edward Mondragon, 23. Robinson is a quadriplegic. less Andrew Sanetra, 21, second from left, explains a video game designed for U.S. Army veteran, Anne Robinson, 48, during a presentation between fellow students at the University of Texas at San Antonio main campus ... more Photo: JERRY LARA /San Antonio Express-News Photo: JERRY LARA /San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close UTSA students develop video games for disabled veterans 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Army veteran Anne Robinson, 48, hasn’t played video games in 18 years, not since she broke her neck in 1999 when her military convoy in Alaska rolled on black ice.

The C4 quadriplegic can finally play video games again thanks to new technology developed by students from the University of Texas at San Antonio. They’ve been working on two video games just for Robinson, one of which uses an eye tracking technology to allow her to play just by looking around the screen.

That game — dubbed “Infinity” — was the students’ final project for an upper division game development class. Associate professor of computer science John Quarles worked with Gamerz 4 Vets, a nonprofit, to partner students in the class with disabled veterans whose tastes and needs would influence the games each student group designed.

Quarles, who has multiple sclerosis, said he’s “constantly developing games for people with disabilities anyway.”

So when Gamerz 4 Vets President Nathan Gonzalez contacted him, Quarles said he realized he had a unique opportunity to give his students the chance to make games for people who really deserved them. This is the first year the class has done this, and Quarles said he hopes the work will help the new nonprofit grow.

The new organization aims to help veterans — with both physical and mental disabilities — use gaming in their rehabilitation.

The class presented their projects earlier this month when Robinson got to see the games the students created, including Infinity, which uses the eye tracking sensor.

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