Valve is exploring the possibility of using brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that could let us control games using our bra꧒ins. Yes, we techn💜ically do that already, but we're talking next-level sci-fi stuff involving electrodes and brain implants. Just another one of them casual things, you know.
In an , Gabe Newell mentioned that he's taken a shine to recent BCI research that's been emerging. "We're way closer to 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Matrix than people realize," he says in his usual nonꦇchalant . He thinks BCI tech is going to have a huge impact on the kinds of experiences that game designers🍷 can create for players.
And in fact, Valve's experimental psychologist Mike Ambinder gave on this topic a whole year ago already (here's a of it too for the more time-pres🔴sed individuals). So what is a BCI, and what does it have to do with gaming?
Brain-Computer Interfaces
A BCI is a device that enables its use♏r to interact with computers , without a keyboard, mouse, or any other "middle man." They tap into the brain's electrical activity and turn these signals into . There are three types of BCIs: non-invasive, semi-invasive, and invasive. Non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG) is the at the moment, seeing as that doesn't necessitate the implantation of electrode arrays under the skull or into the brain tissue itself, which is quite nice. It's also portable and pretty cost-effective.
BCIs are already being used in pretty rudimentary forms to aid people with motor, sensory, and other disabilities. As the tech becomes more streamlined, it'll almost certainly find its way into industries beyond the health sciences, too. Say, the gaming industry. It's apparently , so like, why not a full-scale AAA game?
What Can BCI Offer Gaming?
Say you're walking along in real life and you see someone you know who waves to you, so you instinctively wave back without thinking. There's (usually) no need to think about the individual steps involved in lifting your hand, smiling, swivelling your wrist, lowering your hand again, all whilst still keeping the whole walking thing going on in the background. It happens as you want it to.
What if that's how we could control a game? What if the "middle man" – the hardware that bridges the gap between our intentions and the on-screen reflections thereof – were r꧒emoved completely? What if there simply were no more gap between the two? That's a core concept behind BCI tech in a gaming context. But it's not the only one.
Adaptive Gameplay
Another concept that is the capacity for BCIs to allow adaptive gameplay to take place. In theory, the direct feedback from our neurons received by a BCI could be received by the game ♓itself, which could then interpret these signals and adjust aspects of the game in real time, to match or compensate for whatever you - the player - is experiencing.
If you're bored, the game could pick that up via patterns in your neuronal firing and as a result might throw a couple enemies your way or trigger some cool, attention-grabbing event to unfold in front of you. If you're finding a battle particularly challenging and it's causing enough frustration for a ragequit to become imminent, the game could be like "hold up, we got you fam" and automa🐲tically adjust the challenge level enough to keep you around.
Manually-adjustable difficulty levels could be rendered o💟bsolete, being replaced by dynamic systems that tailor themselves to your unique playstyle in each realtime moment. The game could unfold in exactly the way you want it to, before you're even conscious of 🦄exactly what that is.
Do We Really Want BCI-Controlled Gaming?
Cool, this all sounds great. But is it really all that necessary?
E🎃mbedding an EEG system into a VR headset – which is – is certainly going to tack on a few extra hundred dollars to♓ an already-pricey setup. Is the extra cost worth it when gaming is already so great?
Oh right, then there's the whole thing about convincing people that implanting electrodes into the brain (which would provide superior signalling precision compared to non-invasive BCIs) is a chill idea. Although the tech itself isn't harmful per se, it's still a terrifying thought for most people and brings up w🐓ild conce🅷rns around cybersecurity and the privacy of one's own mind.
A Post-BCI Future
BCIs have the potential to revolutionize gaming in ways that are difficult to conceptualize from where we are now. It's important to remember that all this is still super theoretical. Neuroscience is still in its infancy, w♒ith🙈 most of its BCI technology being restricted to highly experimental settings for the time being.
While w🧸e're not going to be seeing Valve release any ranges of game-controlling brain implants any time soon, they're also pretty convinced that these things are actually less than decades⛦ away.
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