Hamlet over an New World Notes carries an interesting article on using Kinect to connect to Second Life (and potentially other virtual worlds in the future).
The system is far from perfect, as it’s creator admits, but it would seem to offer a new means of interacting with SL for those so-minded. I have to admit to being somewhere between sceptical and amused.
At the moment, one cannot enter any electronics / computer store in the UK without coming across someone standing in front of a 53-inch TV screen frantically gesticulating, waving, hopping, crouching, jumping and shuffling like they’re either having some form of fit, have inadvertently sat on a termite hill or have the most bizarre case of cramp on record – and sometimes a mix of all three. As such, quite how the rest of an otherwise sane household will react to mother or father doing a Superman/girl impersonation in front of their computer screen (and yes, it would seem that a lot of people engage in SL in the same room where other family members are doing other things) or suddenly hugging empty air and puckering their lips seemingly an nothing, could lead to some “interesting” times / explanations.
More interestingly, Leigh Alexander over at Gamasutra, questions the validity of gesture-based “ease of use” (among other things in a far broader article):
Getting your average person — one not particularly versed in gaming, for example — to understand that a hand wave translates to an in-game behavior might be easier than asking them to learn a controller button combination that has the same effect. But while literal simulation may be more immediately comprehensible, the idea that it’s more efficient in terms of interface is largely fallacious.
On the other hand, for those that like to RP in SL – sword fighting and other combat – and providing the gestures can be learned by the system, this might offer a new layer to SL interaction. Although, as one commentator on Hamlet’s NWNs observes – if the system gets to full body movement replication, things could start getting embarrassing at clubs and dances. “Dad dancing at my wedding” could become as much a SL nightmare for brides as it can be in RL….
Mocking aside, if this actually turns out to be going somewhere – the work continues to enhance the system and people actually take it up and encourage more work to be done – where it might lead may remain limited in outcome, but could also be quite fascinating. I’d be interested to see how this is picked up by other sectors of the technology industry for more bespoke virtual environments.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 