{"id":57500,"date":"2024-10-03T17:07:44","date_gmt":"2024-10-03T16:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/?p=57500"},"modified":"2024-10-03T17:07:50","modified_gmt":"2024-10-03T16:07:50","slug":"accessible-gaming-virtual-buddy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/blog\/accessible-gaming-virtual-buddy\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaming opened up a new world for me and my Virtual Buddy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chloe, 21, signed up to Sense\u2019s Virtual Buddy programme<\/a> to make a new friend. Four months ago, she was introduced to our volunteer Yomna. Chloe, who communicates mainly via text, introduced Yomna to the game Roblox as a way of getting to know each other. Here, Chloe and Yomna explain how gaming has brought them closer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Chloe<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I first discovered my love of gaming when I was little. I really love it \u2013 there\u2019s nothing I don\u2019t enjoy about it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, I create content about gaming on social media. I enjoy playing, creating and making, and also it\u2019s a great way of getting followers and likes. On TikTok I have over 3,000 followers and over 30,000 likes now. I enjoy it so much. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of my favourite games is Roblox. I also like GTA online, and Watch Dogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I signed up to Sense\u2019s Virtual Buddy programme so that I could have someone to talk to. They connected me with Yomna. Meeting her and being her Buddy feels really great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I chose to play Roblox with Yomna because it\u2019s very fun and easy to play together. We bonded by playing together and messaging. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best thing about playing Roblox with Yomna is getting to play with someone else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yomna<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After moving to the UK from Egypt about two years ago, I wanted to find a way to volunteer from home while looking after my young children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m a paediatric dentist, so I have a lot of experience with young people, and I\u2019ve also volunteered before with young people with disabilities. So when I came across Sense\u2019s Virtual Buddying programme, it seemed perfect for me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After about a month, Sense connected me with Chloe. Chloe\u2019s profile said that she wants to talk to more people, and to find the courage to be more social and leave her home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“When Chloe and I first gamed together, we were walking along side-by-side in the game, and we said, this is just like we\u2019re hanging out in real life!”<\/p>Yomna<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I wanted her to feel comfortable and empowered to do what she liked, so when she suggested gaming together, I said yes. Even though I was a bit scared \u2013 I haven\u2019t played games since I used my PlayStation as a child, 20 years ago!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d never heard of Roblox before, but Chloe suggested it, and told me it was easy. She was great at explaining how to play. She\u2019s a really good teacher. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the game, you create an avatar, and you choose their hair, how they dress and so on. All the other avatars you see in the game are other real players. That makes it feel really real, like escaping into another world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Chloe and I first gamed together, we were walking along side-by-side in the game, and we said, this is just like we\u2019re hanging out in real life!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We usually hang out for an hour or so each week. We start by messaging on WhatsApp, and then at some point we switch to playing Roblox. It\u2019s a great way to spend time together. I find the game fun and relaxing \u2013 I\u2019ve even played a couple of times by myself, when the kids are asleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best thing about playing together has been getting to know Chloe. She\u2019s a very kind person. She\u2019s very sensitive, which is something we\u2019ve bonded over, as I feel I\u2019m a sensitive person too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though it\u2019s all virtual, I love feeling that we\u2019re connecting, and that I\u2019m making a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Volunteer as a Sense Virtual Buddy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Want to build a friendship like Chloe and Yomna’s? Signing up as a Sense Virtual Buddy is quick and easy, and we’ll give you all the support you need.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

\n Sign up today<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chloe and her Virtual Buddy Yomna have used the game Roblox as a way of getting to know each other.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":57501,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"display_author":[],"class_list":["post-57500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57500"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57500\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57500"},{"taxonomy":"display_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/display_author?post=57500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}