Looking at many of the blog and forum posts it would seem that one thing we all have in common is the consistent need to upgrade our systems to accommodate the newest games. No sooner than a game comes out developers are already working on the next release. The issue becomes our ability to run the newer games with our older PC's. For example, Crysis - I have the 2 gig of required ram but my son only has 1 gig
so if we want to play together it's more $$$, or it looks like we might even need Vista to play, or some other upgrade and on and on? This seems to be a continuos process where either the game causes changes to the PC, or the PC causes changes to the game. In any case the end result is the need to upgrade at least once every year, or in some cases with every new game. Seems the question is where are we headed, what is the future of gaming?
It's easy to say that we will always be required to upgrade our systems if we wish to play the latest games, but let's look further down the road. At what point is enough enough, and where will the industry lead us? Will it take us where WE want to go, or where IT wants us to go? With this in mind I was thinking that it would be interesting to see what everyone else thinks about the future of gaming. Not just about where it's headed, but more important what direction do we want gaming to take. As technology expands exponentially into a wide range of areas where does gaming fit in. How will this diversity affect our ability to play and the levels of enjoyment we seek when we play. I suspect we all can predict the short term, but what about looking a bit further down the road? Most of us have seen documentaries or read articles about how there are new micro chips being developed for everything from hearing, to vision, to electronic devices for the disabled allowing them think about it and to take steps and walk or grasp objects with a prosthetic arms and legs. Implants in the eyes or nerve endings in the limbs that enable artificial functions that simulate normal activity. For those who're disabled this is remarkable technology bringing hope and happiness. All this is good but what if this technology was applied to gaming?
As technology improves and new abilities and functions are created for our devices what changes will be made to enhance the interface between our minds and our machines. We currently use input devices such as a mouse and a keyboard, but when looking at the development of new ways to communicate the fields of medicine and the military are breaking new ground and examining never before considered input devices seen only in science fiction. Have a seat Neo in your comfortable chair and plug your head into the latest FPS. Perhaps that fictional Matrix scenario is not too far from reality for us all. We already have under development devices such as Bio chip implants for cashless transactions, and in August of 1998 Professor Kevin Warwich, Director of Cybernetics at the University of Reading, U.K., became the first human to host a microchip. During a 20 minute procedure Dr. George Boulos inserted into
The implication of this new technology is startling. Even more so when applied by the military, as the games we play today have already been dramatically affected and improved by government applications. More to the point is the development of something referred to as the "Cyber Situation" where the implanted chips are under the control of commanders, decision makers, and analysts. Supporting components include all-source information collectors and archival databases where the Information Integration Center (IIC), uses a microscopic chip implanted in the user's brain to control a wide range of lethal and non lethal weapons. This is not science fiction, it is real and it is happening now. Chip implants it would seem are just the beginning as the development of direct input neural devices are on the horizon.
I've only scratched the surface of this subject and I could go on forever so here's the question. Where do you stand on this future gaming potential, how far would you go to take advantage of a new technology in gaming where YOU are the input device. Where you place your mind in the hands of technology and enter a virtual world where your thoughts translate into action. You feel without harm the heat, the sweat, the pain, and the kill. Is this where we're headed, is this where we want to go - are you ready, or do you need more time?
