gender-swap
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Oculus Rift Gender Swap aims to unravel identity, intimacy, respect
Gender Swap is an experiment by interdisciplinary art collective Be Another Lab, as part of its open source art project, The Machine to be Another – and it uses the Oculus Rift to transport people into bodies of the opposite gender. Two participants strap on the Oculus Rift with first-person cameras mounted on top, and each person receives the visual input from the other person's camera. A woman will look down and see the body of the male participant, and he will see her body. Both participants then begin moving, slowly and in synchrony, feeling their new bodies and moving with new limbs. They first agree on movements they won't make, but after that, they have to remain attuned to one another's motions to get the full gender-swapping effect. Watch a video of Gender Swap in action below the break – heads up for nudity. The Machine to be Another has spawned multiple Oculus Rift projects, including some where one person tells a story of hardship, body issues or joy while the other participant is in his or her skin. "Designed as an interactive performance installation, the 'Machine' offers users the possibility of interacting with a piece of another person's life story by seeing themselves in the body of this person and listening to his/her thoughts inside their mind," Be Another Lab explains. With Gender Swap, Be Another Lab aims to "investigate issues like gender identity, queer theory, feminist technoscience, intimacy and mutual respect."
GodsWar Online takes the battle to a whole new level
GodsWar Online is on the verge of another major content update, and it's never our wish at Massively that players be caught unaware, just in case you want to plan ahead and move laundry night to a different day or something. The Grecian title will be throwing a gob -- which is made up of 10 goblets -- of additional features and content our way, including a level cap increase and a new storyline for players to enjoy. As the conflict between the three factions rises to an even higher level, elite warriors will be glad to get their hands on Class Suit III gear, not to mention to be able to upgrade said gear with collected medals. GodsWar will be tweaking Wonderland somewhat, particularly in regard to tougher BOSS fights (although there will be new weaknesses that players can exploit). The update will also allow you to swap out your character's gender for a modest fee, just in case you choose poorly in the beginning or are discontented with your current anatomical features. [Source: IGG press release]
