As there is natural evolution of gaming towards simpler and more ergonomically viable solutions I think the eventual shift of gaming would be towards mind controlled games. As “Alice in wonderland “as it sounds the existing development in technology and the fact that user experience and ergonomics are an essential in any game design process now only helps build this theory. Gaming is like a system (totally speaking my head out) and system is a product of interaction between macro and micro elements in it. In Gaming the micro elements are: Gameplay, game story, game concept etc which may remain the same through generations but it’s the macro elements which will affect the next gen gaming. And the elements which form the macro elements are: User controls, interaction patterns and perception/ visual design.
The success of consoles like Nintendo Wii, Wii fit, Ds is a natural evolution process for species called “casual gamers”. These games juxtapose to natural physical behavior of humans. Features like less complexity in handling controls, combining human body mechanics with game mechanics (wii fit); mapping eye movements with camera angles are such examples. As these consoles form a part of present generation gaming I think that by extrapolating the technologies today we can imagine what next generation gaming will be like. As I said earlier gaming is a system and the micro elements form the core of it. But it’s the macro elements which will be affected from the technology adaptation. Features like augmented reality, Brain mapping, movement recognition, multi touch, speech recognition and eye tracking should form an inevitable form of future game designing.
In fact if game producers can realize this by researching and exploring more into the casual game genre, designers would be able to make accommodations for future. In an adapted version of the Harry Potter video game, players lift boulders and throw lightning bolts using only their minds. Just as physical movement changed the interface of gaming with Nintendo’s Wii, the power of the mind may be the next big thing in video games. The sensory features are the design elements for next generation gaming. Vision (already exploited enough and well exploited in fact in games so far) Voice and Sound (Voice response systems employed in games like End war) Touch (not just touch screen… more) Smell (what if I could feel the fragrance while playing flowers)
Coming to the practical accepts of above suggestions the following is the status report of these technologies: Mind Controls: Emotiv, a company based in San Francisco, says its mind-control headsets will be on shelves later this year, along with a host of novel “biofeedback” games developed by its partners. Several other companies – including EmSense in Monterey, California; NeuroSky in San Jose, California; and Hitachi in Tokyo – are also developing technology to detect players´ brainwaves and use them in next-gen video games. The technology is based on medical technology that has been around for decades. Using a combination of EEGs (which reveal alpha waves that signify calmness), EMGs (which measure muscle movement), and ECGs and GSR (which measure heart rate and sweating), developers hope to create a picture of a player´s mental and physical state. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), which monitors changes in blood oxygenation, could also be incorporated since it overcomes some of the interference problems with EEGs. In order for mind gaming to attract consumers, developers know they need to offer more than just interesting technology. Earlier biofeedback games – such as Atari´s MinkLink in 1984 and AmTex´s Bio Tetris in 1998 – never took off, possibly because they used old games. This time, developers plan to design novel games that can only be played with mind control complementing a traditional handset – similar to the novel sports games custom-designed for the Wii. Motion Detection: User gets to wave his hands and see stuff happening and it’s a lot more engaging then hitting keys on keyboard.
Since the introduction of Microsoft surface a lot of development has come in the field of multi touch based interaction Its been used in restaurants for billing, in music shows by DJs and of course in gaming . One such example is Warcraft developed by Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories (MERL). This interactive multi-input panel allows users to control such games as Warcraft III with “an array of antennas embedded in the touch surface”.
Smell: It would be so much fun for the kids who are playing animal crossing to be asked to pick flowers based on their fragrance. The technology that supports this feature is called Smell- O – Vision. Of course there is long way to go for this to be called working, but definitely gaming provides a suitable platform for this to be adopted. The history of Smell – o – vision is that this system released odors during the projection of a film in Japan so that the viewer could “smell” what was happening in the movie. The technique was created by Hans Laube and made its only appearance in the 1960 film Scent of Mystery. The process injected 30 different smells into a movie theater’s seats when triggered by the film’s soundtrack. (Source: Wikipedia)
Wouldn’t Prince of Persia love it if he could use the strength of his mind to look through Ariman’s evil black magic? And yell out to Elika for help (user screaming his lungs out) Would taking over an upsurge in COD be a lot more realistic if I could really walk into these jungles and pick weapons from dead soldiers (and I mean PICK!!). Whatever the next generation gaming beholds is yet to be seen, but it’s definitely a good move if we designers could approach a design process which involves Humans as primary audience than just gamers. It means that the playing field is leveled for everyone be it young, old, man, woman, George Bush, etc. because everyone can make natural movements to do stuff.
References:
Billycuts on March 17, 2008 in Consciousness/Psych/Brain, Futurism/Transhumanism, Games and Technology http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/warcraft-iii-multi-touch-panel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smell-o-vision
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