Pacman vs. the Real World

Had a flashback to an article I read some years ago and had to look it up…

Pacman Comes to Life Virtually (includes photos)

Back in 2005, the Mixed Reality Lab at the National University of Singapore created a game of Pacman that was mapped onto the real world. Students got to play both Pacman and the ghosts while running around a “game board” that was the real school campus. Video goggles superimposed game information and floating pellets over a player’s view through augmented reality. The ghosts ate up Pacman by tapping him or her on their real shoulder while Pacman ate up the pellets just by walking through them.

I’m not much of a video game kinda guy, but I am totally excited by this. This game setup had its shortcomings — namely accurate positioning and high cost (5 years later and I’m fairly certain these hurdles are easier to clear). Nevertheless, I find this video gaming concept really compelling. I suspect it has something to do with playing in the real world and not only a virtual one. I also suspect that as mobile technologies improve, we’ll see more of this type of play out in reality in a simpler but more affordable form.

Comments

[naomi]

what if this took the place of the arcade? i'd be in. it'd be every girl's dream who been stuck on the sidelines of game playing to finally have her chance to be smarter than a gaming remote.