Growing the tech tree
Alternate technology that could take games to the next level
blueBook
What is it?
It's a book that uses electronically conductive ink to detect when its print is being touched, and then tells a PC via Bluetooth. The designer, Manolis Kelaidis, recently showed how pressing on a word in a blueBook can bring up the dictionary definition of that word on a wireless laptop.
Gaming potential
For an RPG a blueBook could take the place of your character's spell book. When you want to cast a spell, you press a selection of arcane words or quaint antique symbols. There's massive potential for blueBook within military simulations, too. How about a paper map, where you can mark waypoints in the game by tapping on the map? And why not replace old piracy prevention codewheels with a blueBook? Press the following four letters to prove you're not a dirty code-thief.
It's an obvious addition to simple teaching games too: give a child a book with cows and sheep, where pressing on a cartoon bovine brings up a video of the real thing. Everyone likes cows, right?
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