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To The Pain
Reedo writes: "If you enjoy gaming and pain, this is for you. Two German designers have developed the Painstation, which is basically a revamped Pong. Except for one major difference - The PEU(Pain Execution Unit), which delivers a dose of pain to your left hand in the form of heat, punches or electroshock, when you mess up."
A lot of people have been insulting this, and asking why in the world anyone would play it, but it seems pretty obvious to me. Pain makes your body produce adrenalin, which would definitely heighten the gaming experience. It's not like the pain this machine delivers is extremely intense--but it should be enough to get your endorphins pumping and get your cheeks flushed and make you enjoy the game THAT much more when you win. Sure, it's not for you wusses who wouldn't play the pain game back in grade school, but who wants to play with people who can't take the consequences of losing anyway? :)
Personally, I'd like to see a study that pits the enjoyment derived from regular pong vs. pain-pong. I wouldn't be surprised if people reported a much higher level of enjoyment during pain-pong, even if they lost some of the time.
visit the hwky website for a lyrical genius infusion.
It would be interesting to set up a statistical test to compare the performance of two relatively large groups to determine if there is a significant increase in pong (or any game) playing skills when using a stimulant such as pain. Have any studies like this been performed?
Obviously, Pavlov's experiments with dogs come to mind, but the question is whether this recognition would significantly translate to digital skills, or would increase in skill be matched by non-pained individuals? Would degree of pain matter?
It would be interesting to note the threshold at which pain stops benefitting.
We must throw off the shackles of the typing paradigm.
That's funny, I've been typing for long periods of time (lately 12-16 hours a day isn't unusual) a day for the last 15 years or so and I've never had my wrists hurt. I suspect this is related to the fact that I taught myself to type, rather than having that godawful "home row" method drilled into me (which did hurt for the few weeks I was forced to do it in school). I wouldn't denounce the keyboard just yet.
My thumbs will agree with you on the bit about game controllers, though.
The fact that these guys went through so much trouble to bring the element of physical pain to the typically less than tactile sport of gaming indicates that they are masochists. They were dissatisfied by the lack of pain in their gaming, so they fixed that shortcoming. Besides their basic engineering skills at accomplishing this feat, they also indicate their intelligence and cynical wit with the clever title of Painstation. This photograph provides evidence that they have the ability to perseverse through adversity.
Now if you combine these qualities, you get a formidable force. If Sony threatens them over over the use of the term "Painstation", I say that they shouldn't back down, and I would be puzzled if they did! Not many people would confuse an archiaic self contained bar-sized electronic table-tennis-torture device with the Sony Playstation line of Home gaming consoles, even with the "force-feedback" option. I say that these clever masochists should stand by their production in the face of the belligerent Sony, and who better to do it! If not for the cause of marketing technological advancement despite questionable Intellectual Property practice, then at least for the sake of art! More than just a proof-of-concept of a phyciological Human Computer Interaction theory, this is an artistic statement regarding the current reality of the gaming and home entertainment industries. All great art comes from suffering artists, and this is no exception!
Of course, I do have a few reservations. The word should not be an issue, but if this is going to be produced for mass marketing, then I might take exception to the use of the Playstation font or visual appearance. I think that bringing this into the world of commerce should impose some IP rules. The fact that most of this is preexisting technology should definitely be considerdd to th benefit of the Painstation.
The most important concern is how sanitary this is. I'd hate to pick up Hepatitis at the local video arcade...
-castlan
There are but weeks to go; time to start reviewing other 04/01 RFCs for further inspiration....
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
So, just yesterday I was having a conversation with this guy from the Netherlands, and he was telling me how weird the Germans are. I told him they seemed pretty much like everyone else to me. Today, I'm not so sure.
But hey, if you want to be involved with activities where there is potential for pain if you mess up, may I suggest the following:
- Mountain Biking: Ever seen the "radius" seperated from the "ulna" and sticking "out of the arm"? Mmmm. Compound fractures.
- Rock climbing: You'll probably be saved from most permanent injury by clipping in, but it doesn't always stop people from breaking both kneecaps on a bad fall.
- In-line skating: Actually, ice skating can work too, but gravel or pavement are better surfaces for abrasive punishment on top of impact punishment. They absorb blood better, too.
- Playing with Microwave/EM Cores. What's that smell? Liver? (Don't do this. Seriously. Don't.)
- Dating: Nothing gives good internal pain without permanant damage like dating (well, maybe not permanent).
- River rafting: I'll never forget my dislocated shoulder. Sigh.
Really, I don't know why adding pain to an activity is an accomplishment. Sure, it makes the "stakes" more real, but if you want real stakes, do something real.Tweet, tweet.