Control videogames with... your emotions?

[ExpectantlyIronic]

Sure, you can interact with a game, but isn't the experience empty when you know, deep down, that the game doesn't understand you and your feelings? No, but apparently someone thought as much, because I keep hearing about this device:

Head Games: Video Controller Taps into Brain Waves: "Emotiv Systems introduces a sensor-laden headset that interprets gamers' intentions, emotions and facial expressions"

How do you feel about this?

 

[generalblue]

Weird, I don't think it will become successful.

 

[micfranklin]

At first I thought this would be something like telekinesis. Damn:stare:

 

[garret]

that is just weird.

 

[dDave]

i don't think that it would work, the brain is too complicated to be read correctly and what happens if you aren't concentrating on the game?

 

[ExpectantlyIronic]

i don't think that it would work, the brain is too complicated to be read correctly

There's nothing to prevent someone from finding correlations between emotional states and EEG readings, in theory, and that's apparently what the company making the device did. The device works on the same basic principles that allow us read other peoples emotions via their facial expressions. The device just reads the 'expressions' that get shown in the electrical patterns in peoples scalps, instead of those that get revealed by their facial muscles.

and what happens if you aren't concentrating on the game

The game tells you to pay attention?

 

[viLky]

I don't want the government to get involved and if somebody uses this device might get put on the government watch list. Very interesting, though.