Deaf Space

“Deaf Space” is a cooperative multiplayer experience that immerses players in a sci-fi world, focusing on asymmetric gameplay while raising fundamental questions about communication, subjective perception, and cooperation.

While the players are not allowed to speak to each other, they have to solve different tasks playing around limited forms of communication in form of gestures. Players are placed in front of two isolated screens, limiting the flow of information as they never know what is happening with their teammate. Players must also wear “helmets” in form of ear protection, which prevents verbal communication.

Just as we as society collectively agree to label a flat surface with four vertical legs as a table or use a chair for sitting, the players in “Deaf Space” must create and agree on their own gesture-based language. This theme of “lost reality” is reflected in the form of nonverbal communication and challenges to solve throughout the game.