Implications of Thought-Controlled Games

Emotiv hopes the excitement about its thought-controlled
gaming technology will live on forever in the Emortal,
an online portal for players. Here, people can walk through
a cityscape and find new applications and games to download.
They can also encounter community spaces and chat with other
players. People can even upload their own music and photos on
the Emortal.

If the EEG gaming technology eventually catches on, it could
revolutionize the way people think about video games in much
the same way the Nintendo Wii did (or perhaps more). On the
one hand, with its facial expression interpretations, the
Emotiv EPOC attempts to close the gap further between the
real world and the virtual world to create a more realistic
experience, much like the Wii does. On the other hand, the
Emotiv EPOC also tries to bridge the gap between human
thought and the outside world to create an experience that's
less like reality and more fantastical and dreamlike. The
technology behind EPOC eliminates the middleman of motion
altogether -- a staggering thought to consider.

It makes sense, then, that Emotiv and IBM have announced they
want to pursue the possibilities of this technology beyond
just the world of video games. One idea is that people would
be able to experience realistic virtual training with the
Emotiv technology. Time will tell if the EPOC and similar
technology will extend beyond the gaming market or even
permeate the gaming world at all.

But not everyone is as excited as IBM to see the world dive
into this kind of technology. Though there are certainly
plenty of gamers who are excited to usher in an age of
thought-controlled video games and interfaces, there are
others who find the whole idea, and even the ex­perience of
playing it, "unnerving" [source: Reed]. Some question the
possible harmful applications of such devices. Should
researchers continue making more breakthroughs to advance EEG
technology, it could plausibly lead to computers that can, in
essence, read someone's mind. Those with the technology could
be privy to the private thoughts, opinions and emotions of
others. Granted, this could be very far off, considering
where the technology (and our understanding of the human
brain) is now. Nevertheless, we can't rule out the
possibility entirely. Perhaps we shouldn't dismiss the
prospect of Thought Police (like that in George Orwell's
"1984") as mere alarmism.

Regardless, if you're just interested in developing the Yoda
in you and lifting rocks with your mind, you can expect the
Emotiv EPOC to come out in 2009, for an expected cost of
about $299.