Saturday, January 8, 2011

Kinecting Second Life - Really?

You've probably heard about Kinect - Microsoft's answer to the Wii. Now we have Avatar Kinect which, I hear, is going to revolutionize Second Life. Hamlet sees this as a positive although I suspect he used "dancing" euphemistically (and if he wasn't I'm certain many of his readers are).

I'm assuming this would be an option - I mean using a full-motion sensing controller sounds intriguing but as I sit here in my comfortable chair using my keyboard and mouse I have some serious reservations about "Kinecting" my Second Life experience. Botgirl has a video which might give you some hints as to my concerns but, just in case they aren't obvious, I'll spell out some of them.

  • So you're sitting in the audience at a workshop or lecture. Do you really want to know that the guy next to you scratches his balls or picks his nose? Professional reputations could be ruined.
  • I love dancing in Second Life and the really cool thing is that my avatar doesn't get tired. I wouldn't last very long if I had to stand up and do it myself. I also suspect that if I have to do my own walking my inworld time will be much shorter. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.
  • Copping a feel of unwary avatars could become a new sport.
  • Gorean role players will discover that in the physical world nobody can hold those positions for very long (if they can even get their bodies to bend that way in the first place). I forsee a lot of submissives falling over.
  • If you're a furry you're going to have to get used to crawling around on your floor.
  • If you're given to long emo rants you'll discover how many of your listeners are actually rolling their eyes or looking at the cute guy in the corner and not paying attention to you.
  • Oh yes and cybering - well you explain to your mother or your partner why you're humping that rug. Or worse - you're humping and your partner is just sitting there reading a book.

There are many more potential drawbacks to this but if you start thinking about it I'm sure you'll be able to forsee all of them. I will close by referring once more to dancing. I suspect that some people will be shocked when their partners aren't relying on the smooth moves provided by dancing animations. It's going to be a train wreck of mammoth proportions.




4 comments:

AlexHayden Junibalya said...

Sigh...Just think how much more fun the Phantom Menace would have been if Lucas had included a few song and dance numbers....can just see Jar Jar Binks doing "I am what I am"...."mesa what mesa mesa missa own special creation..."

As for Second Life Kinect...if we are going down that road, does that also mean we get our own Farms?

Honour McMillan said...

LOL Alex are you sure you're taking this with the seriousness it deserves? *grin*

NomadOfNorad said...

I'm sure it'd be useful for machinima and the like, tho.

Honour McMillan said...

You're right Nomad - realistic animations would be good for machinima - just don't make me use Kinect for dancing :)