WILL FUTURE GAMERS DRESS UP TO PLAY PROJECT NATAL?
Microsoft’s bold leap into motion-controlled gaming through the image-capturing Project Natal technology suggests a potential future in which we may all dress up to play video games. Project Natal will have the capacity to not only translate a user’s motions into game-controlling actions, but also to capture the user’s image and display it within the game’s graphic environment. The result could be games in which you view yourself moving around within the game world. In such a game, you would become the star, the game’s protagonist, and that will bring with it a whole new set of game playing considerations. Imagine seeing yourself in a future Final Fantasy title charging into battle on a Chocobo’s back or sprinting toward the end zone in Madden; if you’re wearing whatever you currently wear to play games–jeans, PJs, underwear (I don’t judge)– you might look pretty silly in the context of the game. It won’t take long for gamers to catch on that they’ll have to look the part to really get into the game, and that will open up an entirely new era of interactivity.
But looking game-appropriate will be just the first level of this game-changing technology. I can imagine that with some clever programming (consider this a challenge to all the clever programmers out there) that costumes could play a significant role, perhaps giving players stealth status if they’re dressed in dark clothes, or a particular prop might be essential for solving a mystery or unlocking a door. Cos-players of today may groan at the thought of their innocent pastime going mainstream, but the commercial opportunities are enormous. Gamers wouldn’t just be on the hook for consoles and games; everything they wore or used in the game could be designed specifically for use during play, and game designers could ink deals with clothing and toy manufacturers to produce official costumes and kits or perhaps even smart costumes that include some element recognized by Project Natal that gives the player some gaming benefit. Since Project Natal has the ability to recognize a player’s facial features, it could surely recognize other “designed” features worked into a costume or accessory item.
You don't have to be tough to play video games.
Beyond the fun of dressing up and acting cool (or goofy) one can imagine a second outcome of dragging players images directly into games, and that outcome would be in the form of video replays. At E3, director Steven Spielberg appeared on stage to gush about how interactive this technology is. It may be more than even he imagined. Consider a thousand video replays on You Tube of a thousand cosplaying Luke Skywalkers battling a thousand Darth Vaders or hordes of Leon Kennedys chasing down legions of Weskers or realistic Lara Crofts leaping over chasms of doom. As players become the chief actors within the adventure, they’ll want to share their experiences. They’ll also want to add their own dialogue, and they’ll want smart in-game AI that will respond intelligently to what they say. Project Natal has that covered, too, with advanced voice-recognition technologies. The resulting “video plays” made public over direct links with Facebook, You Tube, MySpace and a host of social networks will generate gaming stars, superstars, and laughable moments that will be watched by millions. In fact, it’s pretty easy to imagine some of the video plays becoming more popular than the background tapestry of the games themselves.
This possible future may seem farfetched, and Microsoft has yet to prove that Project Natal will be able to live up to its full potential. Even if the technical hurdles are overcome, it’s likely that most of the games won’t go beyond the most basic movement-recognition control schemes in much the same way that the majority of Wii developers have only scratched the surface of what can be achieved with Nintendo’s growing suite of controllers. It may also seem more like an example of virtual celebrity than virtual reality, but the trends already underway in which social networks are driven by opportunities for public display and sharing suggest that video plays would be both hugely entertaining and popular. And the commercial prospects for official game costumes and kits could be considerable. As I watch my kids dress up every day as pirates, doctors, cats, fairy princesses and other imaginary characters, I think a little play acting for grown-ups could be a very good thing. And maybe I’d better track down an Indiana Jones floppy hat before the price goes through the roof.
