A Bit More Worth Knowing

This is the commercial featuring the Williams Sisters and the Manning Brothers, that I referenced in my regular blog. The original blog can be found here: Almost Worth Knowing: Michael Phelps, Eli Manning, and Others

Check out the Wikipedia page on Emotiv Systems.

Emotiv Systems' technology actually measures thoughts connected to action, such as controlling your video game avatar through willing him to move or perform a specific action, like push. I don't think such a system would be more fun then simply pressing left on a game pad, but the fact that such a technology exists makes me wonder if we aren't getting closer to The Jetsons after all. On the other hand, using aspects of the technology in conjunction with readily available gaming devices might create truly interactive gaming experiences right now.

I believe systems like X-Box 360 or PS3 attempted to make games more immersive by making the graphics look more real. The natural evolution of this is ultimately a gaming screen that exists in 3-D with lifelike graphics, like a hologram-room. The Wii, on the other hand, was innovative in that it attempted to take playing games into a different level of immersion; the Wii increased control-side interactivity. Incorporating emotion, thought, and expression sensing technologies into games, like those seen in Emotiv Systems, is like taking control-side interactivity to its ultimate evolution. Games could be controlled using controllers, facial expressions, and thoughts... both intentional and unintentional.

My first thought immediately sprints towards a game that factors a player's anxiety level into the gaming environment. I know that this is possible because Mindball measures anxiety levels. From there, the avatar on screen might be forced to suffer from more difficult situations as he loses his calm, hallucinating or being more susceptible to certain effects. Simultaneously, the avatar might become stronger or faster, due to increased adrenaline levels. Even such minor nuances as these, added to a game like Resident Evil or Eternal Darkness, would bring the interactivity and effectiveness of great games to entirely unprecedented levels.

Sadly, the main Emotiv Systems technology carries a rather hefty price tag. Still, it seems that competitors are creating less refined, more economically viable gaming apparatuses that mimic the technology, but without measuring quite as many variables. As stated above, I don't imagine it would be that difficult to simply measure for a single variable like anxiety, and then factor that into gameplay. The headband could be identical to that used in Mindball, connected to a similar program to analyze the data, but then rerouted into the gaming controller. If the cost of the apparatus remained around $150, I have no doubt that players would spring for it. Just look at what people have paid for Rock Band! Developers would just have to be careful not to make games that relied solely on that gimmick, like so many games for Wii. Again, I have to go back to the example of Resident Evil 4. The game was great on Gamecube, but the additional use of the Wii controller for aiming and interactivity allowed it to become a glimpse at one possible future of gaming. Perhaps, these new technologies will shape the future of gaming even more.

Click here to go back to the original AlmostWorthKnowing.com... post on Mindball