Unlike most video games, it doesn’t rely solely on a mouse or joystick. Instead, its players also don a headset that enables them to hurl trucks or other virtual objects simply by thinking.
And that’s just for starters. Advocates of so-called neuro-
gaming say the concept in a few years will incorporate a wide array of physiological factors, from a player’s heart rate and hand gestures to pupil dilation and emotions. Moreover, they envision many such games being developed to improve the health, brainpower and skills of those playing them.
“It’s about integrating your whole nervous system into the gaming experience,” said Zack Lynch, executive director of the Neurotechnology Industry Organization, who organized the second annual neurograming conference in San Francisco in May. Estimating that the event drew about 550 company officials and others, he predicts the concept will take video gaming by storm within a few years.
“We’re at the beginning stages of this,” he said. “I’m so excited.”
The electroencephalography, or EEG, headset used to toss trucks and other objects onto adversaries was made by San Jose, Calif.-based NeuroSky. It measures separate brainwave frequencies that reflect how focused the player is and how calm they are, according to Lat Ware of Emeryville, Calif., who developed the game and is the founder of Crooked Tree Studios. The game, which can be purchased at www.throwtrucks.com, costs $25, or $99 with the headset.