December 5, 2024
We had an incredible time at the National Festival of Railway Modelling 2024 at the NEC last weekend, where we gave train fans a hands-on experience with a sneak peek of Train Sim World VR: New York. Despite the game still being in development, the excitement and enthusiasm from everyone who got to play was through the roof. There was a diverse crowd, with everyone from 6-year-olds, to the more seasoned train enthusiasts in their 70s, and beyond. Players loved the ability to jump into the drivers’ seat and drive a small section of the Harlem Line, followed by exploring a station on foot, and taking some photos with the virtual camera. It was great to see the smiles on so many faces during and after playing, and we can’t wait for them to be able to experience the full game when it releases in 2025.
It was truly a fantastic experience; we learned so much and got to meet some amazing people! One of which really stood out and got us thinking.
Our lead designer for Train Sim World VR: New York, Nick Dent, had a lovely encouter with a young man with autism. Some stereotypes are true, and many people with autism truly love all things train related! One of the hallmarks of autism is persistent difficulties with social interaction; this causes difficulty understanding and connecting with others, however Nicks’ experience showed us how videogames can make those things just a little easier.
The young man seemed quite nervous and withdrawn at first, but once Nick had set him up with the headset and got him in the train he lit up. He continuously expressed his awe and excitement, particularly fascinated with the haptic feedback saying that he really felt like he was driving a train. Once he was done and had the headset removed, he told Nick how much he loved it and how great he thought the game was. He then stuck his hand out to shake Nicks’. The young man’s father told Nick “That is high praise from him”.
JustAddWater is proudly filled with neurodiverse individuals and to see that a project of ours has brought a fellow neurodivergent person so much joy is one of the most rewarding parts of our work. It goes beyond just providing a young man with temporary joy; it allowed him to connect with not just Nick, but with all of us here at JAW, and with everone else who loved the game.
Videogames have been connecting people since Pong. Whether through friendly (and not so friendly) competition, co-operative problem solving, shared experiences, and shared loves. These all serve to bring people together and that is part of what we strive for as game makers.
We want you to have those recordings of funny or epic moments that you share with friends, to talk stategy with teammates and be driven to improve by competitors. We want you to connect with both the game and other players, because we know how important those connections are
For some like our young friend, those connections can be difficult if not impossible to make. To be able to give someone that connection just by doing what we love as game markers is truly one of the best parts about what we do.
