Game controlling methods beyond joypads and keyboards: the idea has been around for a while. Besides relying on the player’s movements there are attempts to utilize brain activity as a new way of interaction. We asked Tansy Brook of NeuroSky – one of the companies sharing this vision – about the MindSet and its potential impact on games which should be viewed as gaming experience enhancement rather than paradigm shift.

: What should gamers be most excited about the MindSet? What can it offer that other companies’ (like Emotiv) products can’t?

TB: The goal for NeuroSky is to partner with experts in a number of industries, where the technology can be beneficial, rather then creating all of the applications ourselves. For example, Uncle Milton has created the Force Trainer and Mattel has created the MindFlex, using our ThinkGear technology. Both products will be available in stores this fall. We have a number of other industry leading partners who are applying our technology to everything form health and wellness to automotive. We also have a number of universities, some of which are already partners, who are interested in using our technology (particularly the MindSet and the MindSet Research Tools) as a cost effective option for their research. We can provide them with both our eSense algorithms (attention and meditation) as well as a raw EEG data feed. The goal in creating our products was to make them as user friendly as possible. We use a single, dry sensor, rather than multiple sensors and a conductive solution, in order to make it as easy to use as possible. We have the ability to use additional sensors, but we believe if something isn’t easy to use, people will use it less often and not find it enjoyable. In addition, someone using a headset with our technology can put the headset on and begin playing in a matter of moments. A number of other technologies require a 10-20 minute training session each time you use the product, in order to get started. Furthermore, most of the other devices use Electromyography (EMG) – which applies your muscle movement rather than your brainwaves, which means you are limited to the number of movements you can remember – most people are lucky to do more than 10, and that means that they are still using an activity more similar to touching a button with their finger than using their brain.
However, all of the technologies have their place in the market and we are happy to see people becoming aware of all of the benefits that are available using BCI and muscle movement. Getting the word out is important to us, which is one of the reasons we’ve recently announced that we are releasing our SDK – The MindSet Development Tools for free.

:  Suppose we were a game developer start-up interested in the MindSet. What game genre(s) do you think it is the best fit to?

TB: It is hard for us to say the best way to apply our technology, because the developers really are the best people to decide the best ways to apply our technology. In discussions we have had with developers in the past, their creativity in the application is almost limitless. From my experience, we have seen that our technology is best used as an enhancement to a game – for example, say you are a sniper in a game – the player could be required to maintain focus in order to set up an accurate shot. In the Square Enix Judecca game, players need to concentrate in order to shift into a parallel reality, in order to battle the demons that are attacking them. The best thing for a developer to do is download the MindSet Development Tools, become familiar with the technology and then apply their own creativity.

: Speaking of Judecca, what do you think is the “extra mile” of the game?

TB: I think that one of the things that makes it so much fun is the way your excitement and the necessity of controlling your concentration and reactions impacts the game. That is one of the things that makes games using our technology so unique.

: Does verbal communication interfere with brainwave activity?

TB: Yes, in a number of ways. Essentially, it would depend on if verbal communication helps a player to relax or to concentrate – it depends on the person.

: PC gaming seems to be the focal point of the MindSet at this stage. Having said that, do you have plans to expand towards home consoles?

TB: PC games are great because there is a lot of flexibility and developers aren’t limited to publishing and distribution limitations. However, we are currently working with game console companies to integrate the ThinkGear technology with their systems.

: The MindSet translates brainwaves into a game control method. Do you think that one day there will be a system that literally “reads the mind”? We picture a fully mind controlled game including navigating in menus, moves, action, puzzle solving, etc.

TB: Absolutely, the progress with research groups, universities and our scientists are making are very promising. However, what is still to be determined is how the technology will be applied – for example, 5 years ago people wouldn’t have thought about scrolling through their phone contacts using a gesture of their finger – but to every iPhone owner, it is now second nature.

: You started distribution of the MindSet in the US last month. However, there is no information on games that support the technology yet – besides NeuroBoy that is part of the package. What games can people play with say within the first six months? Or will game releases be announced by each developer?

TB: In the next 6 months there will be a number of additions to the NeuroSky App Store, so we recommend joining our mailing list to receive the announcements. Games can also be released by individual developers and partners, depending on what distribution method they prefer, but we will be providing information about those games as well on our website and Facebook page.

: By the way, when do you think it will be available in other territories? We are sure a lot of people are interested.

TB: We are currently working on international distribution, and people who are interested should join the mailing list and we will make them aware of international distribution when it becomes available.