A few months back, I read a really excellent (but pretty old) blog post that explained how to hack a toy called a Mind Flex to extract and analyze the data within it. At first, I couldn't believe that such a thing existed. I mean, sure — gimmicky toys have been around for ages, so I wasn't shocked that the toy claimed to read the user's mind. It's not uncommon to fake this kind of gimmick. But, the fact that the Mind Flex contains a real, legit EEG chip that read your mind seemed almost too good to be true. I wondered if it was possible to take this hack a step further. Instead of just reading the data, or using the data to "control" something else, what if I were to read the data while performing some task and see what the data reveals about my performance during that task? I would need to complete an activity with quantifiable data to properly compare the brain activity to the task results to see if my attention levels correlated to the task's success or failure. Deciding on the actual action to measure wasn't tricky. I am a pretty avid video game player and had recently been trying to think of a way to integrate my gameplay statistics into a project, so I surmised that the combination would be an intriguing one.
So I asked myself: "if I could hack the Mind Flex and wear it while playing Call of Duty, what would the data show?" Could I establish a relationship between cognitive function and video game performance? In other words, when I'm focused and attentive, do I play better? Or, when I'm distracted, do I play worse? Is there no connection at all? I wasn't sure if my tests would succeed, but I decided to find out.
What Developers Should Know from Gamescom 2019
Gamescom 2019 in Cologne, Germany, has come to an end; although it only lasted a week (August 20-24), there were some significant announcements packed into that short time frame. In this article, we will take a look at four of the more prominent reveals and announcements — Nvidia's RTX momentum, Sega and Google Stadia's disappointments, and Nintendo and Microsoft's continued synergy — that set the tone for the gaming world in 2019 and 2020.
Despite its focus video game, Gamescom 2019 included many announcements that will affect the development community into 2020.
E3: Microsoft Steps Into the Gap With Scarlett, xCloud, and Games
This weekend was a whirlwind at E3 2019, with Microsoft bringing a wide array of games, Xbox Scarlett news, and xCloud information—albeit not enough on the latter two topics—Bethesda showing off DOOM: Eternal and a new game streaming framework, and Devolver Digital's par-for-the-course outlandish presentation.
Microsoft
Microsoft was the nearly-indisputable main event of the weekend, and while they did provide some information on Xbox Scarlett and Project xCloud, they did not provide much in the way of details. Although this was disappointing, Microsoft did announce an almost overwhelming number of games, including Gears 5 and Halo Infinite.
A Recap of GDC 2019
Each year, the Game Developers Conference (GDC) brings with it a host of important announcements and demonstrations and GDC 2019 did not disappoint. This week was packed with news, including Google's Stadia gaming service, partnerships between the console makers, and a demonstration of the basic features of Microsoft's Project xCloud. In this article, we will recap the top news of the week. The following articles covered the day-by-day announcements throughout the week:
Top 3 Stories of the Week
Although there were dozens of important announcements during the week, three stood apart from the rest: Google's announcement of Stadia, Nintendo's partnership with Microsoft, and Microsoft's demonstration of its Project xCloud Software Development Kit (SDK).
What’s Going on at GDC 2019?: Day 4
The Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019 continues to push out important news by the day. Wednesday night included an awards ceremony, where a familiar face in 2018 gaming took the stage to accept a second major accolade, and Thursday continued the drama of the store war between Valve's Steam and Epic's Epic Game Store. Not to be left out of the loop, Microsoft countered Stadia with its first detailed look at Project xCloud development.
Game Developers Choice Awards
The Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) aired on Wednesday night and venerated some of the top gaming titles of 2018, including God of War, which won GDCA Game of the Year. The Sony title leveraged its captivating storyline to add to its Game of the Year award from the Game Awards in December of 2018 (image from GDCA presentation).
What’s Going on at GDC 2019?: Day 2
Day 2 at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019 was without a doubt dominated by the announcement of Google Stadia, a cloud-based game streaming platform. This service—scheduled for release in 2019—is set to change the landscape of gaming for many years, but it does have some serious unanswered questions and could be less than a dominant force in the gaming market. Not to be lost in the shadows, Tuesday also saw the partnership between Unity and Tencent, bringing the capability of the cloud to the rugged game development engine.
Google: Stadia
Google announced its new cloud-based streaming service, Stadia, during its 1:00 pm ET keynote; although some details are lacking, the technology looks promising. Stadia is a game streaming service built on top of the Google Data Center network, which includes over 7,500 edge nodes and is connected by high-speed fiber-optic links around the globe. While game streaming services have been lackluster in the past, Google appears to have the technology and network backbone to support its attempt at this type of service.
What You Need Know Before GDC 2019
For more than 30 years, the Game Developers Conference (GDC) has been one of the prominent events for displaying the most innovative video game technology to developers around the world. Each year, more than 28,000 developers gather for one week and learn about the advancements taking place in the video game industry and share the techniques and technologies shaping the future of gaming. This year, GDC will run from Monday, March 18 until Friday, March 22 in San Francisco, CA.
In this series, we will cover the significant updates from GDC 2019 each day of the week and recap the conference after its conclusion on Friday, March 22. Even if video games are not the reader's specialty or not of particular interest, GDC 2019 will likely include many noteworthy announcements and innovations that will ripple far beyond video games. Regardless of background, it is essential to digest the wealth of information and transformative technologies that will emerge from San Francisco next week.
Pay What You Want for the Master Game Development Bundle
Gaming is a billion dollar industry and has been for years. If you are a gamer, you have probably thought of getting into game development before. As the video gaming market continues to grow, so does the demand for game developers. You need to have the broadest skill set possible to get one of those […]
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