Lowtek Games was awarded an InGAME R&D voucher to explore the feasibility of the text-to-speech plugin, Dislectek. The tool works within the game engine Unity to make games more accessible for dyslexic players.

Through this collaboration, Lowtek Games created a prototype and tested functionality with game developers and end-users. The plugin was praised for its simple game integration process, utilising a simple drag and drop mechanic. Gamers value the ability to select specific text areas, as other text-to-speech tools read the entire text on a screen.

Lowtek Games brought art and design ideas for the plugin and our team investigated technical challenges and supported user testing. Game developers were recruited through our network, whilst end-users were recruited through Abertay University’s accessibility group and Dyslexia Scotland.

In February 2021, Dislectek was launched on the Unity Asset store.

Collaborative R&D Voucher Scheme

The Collaborative R&D (CR&D) Voucher Scheme responds to the needs of the Dundee videogames cluster by unlocking access to research and development expertise, state-of-the-art R&D resources and diverse talent to collaborate on small scope, high impact R&D experiments that help validate new ideas and de-risk innovation opportunities. The Scheme issues vouchers unlocking up to £50,000 of R&D support (non-monetary award).  Click here for more information on how to apply.