Augmented reality relationship game plays with your emotions

If you couldn't quite make it to the last Wii marriage counseling session, there's still good news coming from Georgia Tech. Thanks to a group of engineering minds at the university, a new augmented reality game (dubbed AR Facade) is placing you in the center of a marital spat with nearly limitless options. The program apparently runs on a back-worn laptop and utilizes an oh-so-tacky head mountable display, and developers suggest that being placed in the midst of an "interactive drama" allows you to choose sides, attempt to mediate, and basically "define your own way to win" as you try to talk some sense into the flustered couple. Interestingly, there's even talk of bringing such games "onto mobile phones" and into the workplace, but it looks like they've got a bit of hardware trimming to do first.

[Via The Raw Feed]

[L. Cyphre @ Jun 21st 2007 5:33AM]

I want a Higurashi version for this.

[jzungre @ Jun 21st 2007 8:44AM]

didn't this facade game come out a few years ago, but without all the headgear strangeness? i remember seeing it on cinematech a couple years ago and finding a place where you could download it.

[blurry @ Jun 21st 2007 9:38AM]

That's definitely facade on that screen. Here's a fun way to play that game:

(play as a guy)
Walk in, kiss Trip on the mouth and say "Hello, you sexy b**ch".

If the game still hasn't booted you out, go into the kitchen and keep telling Grace "I love you"...

Go back in the living room and pick up something from their shelf. If they ask you about it tell them it's ugly. Then go on about how you ate something last night that disagreed with you -- as long as it's not really on the topic of them. Hopefully, with enough profanity they'll kick you out. If empty handed, don't forget to grab a bottle of Trip's wine and say something nice like "Thanks for the wine, ya moron"

There are plot lines that, for whatever reason, become very sensitive topics to bring up. For example, tell Trip "Maria says hi" and he gets really pissed off. :-)

While really well scripted, it's not really open-ended. And in most cases you don't have much control over the situation or what the outcome will be. You can decide if you want to get thrown out (fun), stick around and help them resolve their problem (interesting, but gets boring), or convince them to break up (fun).

[SigmaProjects.org @ Jun 21st 2007 11:49AM]

I'm sorry, but could someone explain the benefits, uses, potential, or any reason at all why this isnt useless?

[XSportSeeker @ Jun 21st 2007 3:53PM]

Those are not meant to be useful, they are meant to be fun.
It's a game.
Though you do have some pretty useful stuff being developed using AR (Augmented Reality).

[JC1986 @ Jun 25th 2007 8:19PM]

Whoa...flashback. I remember reading this in Creative Loafing-Atlanta back in april. The editor said the experience was quite realistic and he started sweating when one of the AI got mad at him.