Tech and New Friends

One of my favorite video series, Extra Credits (which has been the inspiration for a few articles), recently did two episodes on alternate reality gaming and augmented reality gaming. The idea behind both of these is to make the real world part of the game. At the very basic level, think about it on Facebook games, when you invite friends to help your game. That's a part of it. With that in mind, I am looking forward to the future of gaming where these connect through amazing technology.

Imagine making life a part of your games.

Google has recently announced a prototype for a pair of glasses that project information for the user. These "augmented reality head mounted displays" would sort of function like a computer, letting you chat, use online maps, and access information before your eyes. We've seen these kind of things in movies and such but did we ever think they could be real? Imagine the ways our society would change, how our social lives would change.

Of course, since I love video games, I like to think how this would change gaming. If the technology advanced enough, then we would see games become a literal part of our world. The user would see the game in his or her own town, interact with it in a familiar and personal way. You would finally be the main character, the avatar in the game world. You could reach out and interact with the world that you play in.

I think there would be some interesting benefits to this kind of play. First, oddly enough, would be some health benefits. These would probably require people to go out into their world and interact with it. They would go for walks and explore their towns because the game wouldn't be limited to their personal home. City land marks or public buildings could become important parts of the game. The game would require you to go out and explore, keeping people off their couches and getting them outside.

There might be some academic benefits. Going to a library and getting a book might let you gain strength in certain skills, or you could find treasure in the park at your town center. It might seem odd, using games to teach, but that has been a major movement already in the industry. Lots of different groups are trying to find how to use video games as a medium for teaching. One of the biggest names on the PC, Valve Software, has even been looking into adding their amazing Steam network for schools. These types of games could encourage tangential learning, where the user learns because they want to, not because it is forced on them.

Finally, I think there could be a great social benefit to these games. Imagine you were supposed to find and defeat a monster that inhabited your local park. While searching, you met up with someone else who was also searching for that monster. Together you could meet and play the game, working together for the final goal. What if the game was tailored to these kinds of chance occurrences? If you met someone and shook hands, maybe both characters would gain experience, or if you combined spells or attacks with your partner and they would deal more damage, maybe you would gain even more loot at the end if you worked with someone. These would make people more inclined to act civilly with others. And after, you might find that you have more in common, games you both like or books you read or places you like to eat. The game would be helping you to meet real people in your area and make real connections.

There is a lot that these games could do, good and bad. I won't go into it now. Smarter and more invested people will continue to expand on these topics as development continues. I just look to the future. These could change how we play and how we see games. There would be great opportunities to change how society views games and how we deal with each other.

On the downside, I just know someone is going to make some creepy games someday.

Just something to chew on.