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University of Southern California isn't just a school for spoiled children and cheating football players -- it is a little universe of nerdery that has aspirations of large, grand, powerful things. Like making World of Warcraft playable with a Microsoft Kinect.
In the video you find just beyond the link, you'll be taken on a tour of how the FAAST works. What's FAAST, you say? Well, I don't want to give everything away, but essentially it turns your body into a giant keyboard, and your actions simulate the pressing of certain keys. Or, well, I think that's right, anyway... hit the link for real smarties to explain.
Researchers at USC's Institute for Creative Technologies are living up to their name, building upon a Flexible Action and Articulated Skeleton Toolkit (FAAST) to allow gamers to control PC titles like World of Warcraft with just their body.
Be sure to check out the video below wherein the developers showcase their discoveries thus far. Not surprisingly, the team is praising the technology for not only game use, but also its ability to encourage more active play; perfect for those in need of some light rehabilitation work or a good workout.
We see this as the great problem solver. If you know much about the stereotypical WoW players, or watched that brilliant South Park episode, then you'll probably see where we're going with this:
Up, folks. Up out of your chairs and off of your beds and get moving. Cast those Cheetos to the floor and start walking in place. This could maybe turn one of gaming's notoriously lackadaisical experiences into something more invigorating. Maybe wholesale culture shift, something to turn nerds in to fit, physically appealing specimens. We even have the perfect spokesperson...
Oh, wait. This is fake WoW with a Kinect, not a real Xbox 360 game. I don't think any of what I explained will actually happen. But hey, it's cool to look at, right?
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