Videogames: The wave of the future

[Amake]

Remember when Spore looked good? (http://www.cracked.com/article_15243_the-next-25-years-video-games.html)

And it was going to change the face of videogames forever?

Well, that didn't turn out so accurate, but most of the things in this article are still quite possible, and got me thinking about how the vidyagajms are going to explode all dimensions of time, space and money probably within 30 years. Heck, we have no idea how the world is going to look ten years from now. Maybe not even five.

All we really need is some kind of automated energy generation, I'm thinking either something like Transmetropolitan where Mercury is covered in solar panels or zero point energy, and when we have nanocomputers building each other blanketing the world and streaming a developing mesh of full sensory immersion games procedurally created according to our moods and whims into our brains, I hesitate to call it games or even software, it'll be some synthesis of computer and man; that'll be the end of the world as we know it. Dreams and reality will be completely interchangible, up will become down, something will come from nothing, and we will turn into bodiless superluminal creatures and play forever in the fields of fucking intergalactic paradise.

I have seen the shape of the technological singularity, and I am not afraid.

[Ecks]

The longer it takes them to make a goddamn Pokemon MMO, the farther away most of the things you're talking about will seem.

[Dracorion]

The longer it takes them to make a goddamn Pokemon MMO, the farther away most of the things you're talking about will seem.

Now, I normally don't subject people to this because, well, it will eat your soul. But I don't really like you, so here you go. (http://www.pokemonworldonline.net/)

[Ecks]

But I don't really like you.

But... what did I do to you?

The only people I ever try to actively piss off are Prems (who is not really bothered at all, I'm sure) and Fifth (who just lurks and honestly has no time for mere mortals such as I).

Aw, fuck it, I'll look at it anyway.

[Tev]

I tried to get in on PWO. The servers are always down, the locals are dumb, and the membership sign-ups are closed.

[Ecks]

That figures.

[Osterbaum]

Okay, enough about Pokemon.

Now cue Sith to come and tell us if any of that technology is actually viable.

[Loyal]

I thought Sith was the Physics guy, and someone else did Technology.

[Bells]

Okay, enough about Pokemon.

Now cue Sith to come and tell us if any of that technology is actually viable.

Enough about Pokemon? Ha!! You want to see the future?

Nintendo goes cross platform and launches a Pokemon MMO that goes on their next console (with support for USB Keyboard and Mouse) and ALSO on the PC.

The game allows you to Give orders to your pokemon, and the better your relationship with the creature and your success the faster and better it responds. Nintendo launches a buttload of pokemons exclusively for this game rounding up the Total to 600 Monsters you can capture, train and battle with / against. Plus you can travel on all the locations of the previous games, and you can pick your native region and fight on several Types of Championships and qualification tournaments that follow a real-time calendar.

It takes the world by storm.

Then, Blizzard decides that it needs to fight back and take over again, and that WoW is old enough... they pull the Ultimate rabbit from the hat...

They launch their new MMO... the entire content of WoW... Against the Entire content of Starcraft.

Warcraft Vs Starcraft.

6 months later, everyone with a Internet connection and a credit card is a slave.

[PyrosNine]

I call it Zreality, as instead of simply imposing images on our 3dimensional perspective for immersion, a special kind of nano cloud that fill important areas creates physical responses to virtual reactants, with conjured shared images providing a visual confirmation.

In layman's terms, player sees grassy field. Turns on specs, and sees pokemon center, and can actually walk into, touch the building by using the nano cloud field to give feedback that simulates a hard surface. There is an elevator, that actually lifts the player up to the next story, or carries them to another area of the grassy field with the illusion of going up. AI Nurse joys, but they can actually be touched by lecherous brock style characters and then their AI Chanceys can kick player's ass and pull him by his ear.

Essentially, the nano cloud would need some sort of method of dispersal and maintenance that would keep the the area properly saturated and low resistance enough, that it would be like walking in air or special types of fluid, and that by wirelessly running current through the cloud in specific programs the nanocloud would create "shields" (used loosely here) to create the desired effect of feedback and physical effects, which would work in tandem with programmed visualization program that synchronizes with the effects to the player to create a stronger illusion.

Is any of this feasible yet? No. BUT SOMEDAY.

Send Checks!

[Osterbaum]

I thought Sith was the Physics guy, and someone else did Technology.

Physics is everything!

[Meister]

Esoteric augmented reality tech? Here I am!

Today you basically already have your iPhones and Android cell phones that have the potential for augmented reality, i.e. combining environmental and external data, which, for example, allows you to view the world through your cell phone screen and have useful information about, say, landmarks superimposed directly and automatically onto the screen.

Next step, why stop there with everyone carrying a separate device they have to actively consult when you could just as well make transparent miniature displays that get integrated into a pair of glasses, and some miniature earbuds. Add a small remote control (all wireless by the way, of course) and there you go, you can now have augmented reality everywhere and at all times. And sure some decades down the line you might have cornea implant displays and control your systems directly via brainwaves or whatever they're gonna think up.

At that point you can basically mix reality with whatever you want. I read an article a few months ago about using this kind of technology to construct ad-blockers in real life; a software would identify billboards or ad posters and blur them out in your field of vision or replace them with images of your choice. (Of course if you're a big advertising company you could just as well use it to save money on printing posters and distribute a software that identifies blank spaces in people's field of vision and places ads there.) Video games in that context certainly have all the potential to become sort of overlays to reality. Like, at the most basic level you could have your pokemon projected into your field of vision and they'd move around the environment more or less realistically, or you could have procedurally generated content plugged into images of your surroundings and turn your trip to the mall into an FPS mission or whatever you can think of.

And of course as soon as they have systems that address all senses what you'll basically have is, as cliche as it is, the goddamn Matrix.

[Sithdarth]

Trying to predict the technological singularity is like trying to predict what goes on in an actual singularity. (i.e. blackhole) Simply put its so far from what we know and there is no known rules governing it and so basically anything that doesn't contradict current science is possible. (Perhaps even things that seem to contradict current science in limited ways.) Basically its great to think about but don't go buying stock in the Matrix just yet. Too many different technologies from too many different disciplines are converging too quickly for anyone to have a really good idea of what is going to happen. We've long since passed the point were any human can grasp the true scope, ability, and potential of our own technology.

Although it is interesting to think that the reason we haven't seen alien life that evolved before us it that they simply retreated into technology and never bothered to leave their planet because it was easier than actually exploring the universe.

[Azisien]

Next 25 years....hmmm...

Hopefully 500Gbps internet everywhere, so people in North America and people in Australia can play games together with reasonable ping.

Not that we'd want to. Just an option.

[Dracorion]

But... what did I do to you?

Don't think you're special. I don't like anyone.

I'm hoping to move onto hating everyone soon, rather than a select *coughkrogothwolfcough* few.

[Amake]

It's a popular philosophy you'd have to evolve into something lighter than air to seriously travel in space. It's just the next step after evolving lungs and stuff to live out of water. Maybe the aliens are all around us and we just can't see them. :)

PS. Real life ad blockers sound really stupid and dangerous. You'd pay good money to have horse blinkers implanted in your brain? Maybe next we'll get an app so you don't have to see or hear poor people. Or Republicans. . .damnit, I'm sold.

[BitVyper]

Although it is interesting to think that the reason we haven't seen alien life that evolved before us it that they simply retreated into technology and never bothered to leave their planet because it was easier than actually exploring the universe.

Isn't there a Star Trek episode about that? Or Stargate? Star something, anyway.

[Loyal]

They launch their new MMO... the entire content of WoW... Against the Entire content of Starcraft.

Warcraft Vs Starcraft.Taking bets now, Raynor versus Thrall, Aldaris versus Arugal, and two Firebats versus a pair of grounded Troll Batriders in an extra special hell-in-a-cell cage match! not to be confused with an actual versus thread petition

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Next 25 years....hmmm...

Hopefully 500Gbps internet everywhere, so people in North America and people in Australia can play games together with reasonable ping.

Not that we'd want to. Just an option.

Australians are cheating bastards. Fair warning.

[PsychicKid]

Esoteric augmented reality tech? Here I am!

Today you basically already have your iPhones and Android cell phones that have the potential for augmented reality, i.e. combining environmental and external data, which, for example, allows you to view the world through your cell phone screen and have useful information about, say, landmarks superimposed directly and automatically onto the screen.

Next step, why stop there with everyone carrying a separate device they have to actively consult when you could just as well make transparent miniature displays that get integrated into a pair of glasses, and some miniature earbuds. Add a small remote control (all wireless by the way, of course) and there you go, you can now have augmented reality everywhere and at all times. And sure some decades down the line you might have cornea implant displays and control your systems directly via brainwaves or whatever they're gonna think up.

At that point you can basically mix reality with whatever you want. I read an article a few months ago about using this kind of technology to construct ad-blockers in real life; a software would identify billboards or ad posters and blur them out in your field of vision or replace them with images of your choice. (Of course if you're a big advertising company you could just as well use it to save money on printing posters and distribute a software that identifies blank spaces in people's field of vision and places ads there.) Video games in that context certainly have all the potential to become sort of overlays to reality. Like, at the most basic level you could have your pokemon projected into your field of vision and they'd move around the environment more or less realistically, or you could have procedurally generated content plugged into images of your surroundings and turn your trip to the mall into an FPS mission or whatever you can think of.

And of course as soon as they have systems that address all senses what you'll basically have is, as cliche as it is, the goddamn Matrix.

Not gonna lie, this would be pretty freaking sweet, sans any potential abuse by advertisers. Last thing I want is to put on my swanky 3-D metareality glasses and find ads for penis enlargement when I start chilling with Mario.

[Ecks]

Don't think you're special. I don't like anyone.

I'm hoping to move onto hating everyone soon, rather than a select *coughkrogothwolfcough* few.

Thanks for clearing that up. I was worried that my plan to be equal parts assholish and ubernice was preventing me from being that one guy that no one is friends with, but no one outright hates.

Again, I failed Prems and Fifth (with Fifth being NPF's Lucifer and Prems being his Sauron) but whatever, glad to know it's not my fault.

[Donomni]

Aside from current technology getting a bit stronger, things 30 years from now will more or less be exactly the same, except for maybe the US being owned by Wal-Mart.

I mean, tech can only go as far as corporations and their political buddies will allow.

Man those cars that don't use fossil fuels are so cheap and commonplace huh?

[Meister]

PS. Real life ad blockers sound really stupid and dangerous. You'd pay good money to have horse blinkers implanted in your brain? Maybe next we'll get an app so you don't have to see or hear poor people.
Not in your brain, in your personal area network. For the time being, at least. But the point about blocking out certain groups of people was in fact one the article also went on to make and I really wish I could remember where it was now.

[DFM]

So in the future just pretending to ignore people might actually work?

[PyrosNine]

I was actually thinking that all billboards and advertisements would be to the unaided eye white or some neutral color....and that the advertisement upon them would appear when you looked at them with whatever method, and would be tailored to you and your shopping habits. So not only would you see only what you were interested in at the store, but everyone else could see what they want at the same time, and without any violation of privacy like in Minority Report. An Ad block would simply make these billboards display nothing or just white. Hell, there wouldn't even need to be a builboard, just have it coded for a virtual ad to float up in the air somewhere.

The blank billboard technology is actually doable now, with flat objects with a specific image on them that renders a machine code when observed by cameras that send a message to the HUD that swaps them with a live feed. Same principle for that cube camera game (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ks1u0A8xdU).

[Osterbaum]

Man those cars that don't use fossil fuels are so cheap and commonplace huh?
This. In response to the thread.