Had a chance to see the Intimate Controllers, although not in action, as it were. This was part of the ITP Spring show that we saw a few weeks ago. It was pretty interesting, although I wonder if it would really create intimate partner games. Next time you're in the office, ask me about the cybersex suit I saw in Paris in the mid-90's...
My thesis work involves building game controllers into undergarments so that games are played through players physically touching one another. The goal of this project was to research and create objects that challenge the traditional notions and orientation of video game play.
The project began as an exercise for networked objects. I made a pong controller that was made from a bra. The mapping for the controller was simple - touching the left breast made the pong paddle go left and the right breast made the paddle go right. I then found out about a phenomenon called gamer widowhood where men essentially abandoned their wives to play video games night and day. I wanted to create a type of video game play that would center around a couple's intimacy and where two people would touch each other in order to play the game.
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