 |
|
OK, I admit it, I am a compulsive TOMB RAIDER addict!
Although I designed video games in the 80's 8-bit era ( Interceptor, Players etc.) I soon got bored with it all, as I thought I was never going to be able to create the realities I seriously sought after. Until now, 15 years later. Finally I have found a computer game creator which makes the first steps in opening those doorways in my mind. For me the Tomb Raider system unlike other 3D games (Doom, Unreal etc.) has so far reached the closest to the total global VR gaming experience. Because it is less about killing & blasting (although it features quite a lot) and more about mental & sensory input. You have to use both halves of your brain. Nathan McCree's music drew my first glance (or should I say 'pricked up my ears') being the first intelligent electronic music to feature in a video game for ages. And then the pure nature of 'discovery' in the TR game drew me in completely. One strong point is that it doesn't even have the look and feel of a normal video game. It attempts to be REAL. The French game "ALONE in the DARK" made the first steps, then came Bio-Hazard/Resident Evil. But these games had static screens. Tomb Raider took it further, added unrestricted 3D movement and more some: Ethereal music + Virtual soundscapes/landscapes + All gaming elements + Discovery + Education = Addiction. "Tomb Raider 3" did it for me. The London level hit on nostalgia so much (with moonlit rain and the sounds of distant commuting) that the game began to come alive - it became an 'Actual reality' (Note: try it on a rainy night with a large video projector, Dual-shock, 4 speakers, AND headphones!) In the attempt to create digitally a known location, different parts of your mind become awakened, which wouldn't happen if you were playing PAC-MAN, for example. I think it was at this point I first had the experience of 'Holo-Deck' addiction (!) And so, if you are familiar with William Gibson's 'Neuromancer', 'Virtual Light' or 'IDORU' you'll have read about |
 |