The action RPG Elden Ring has been played with just about everything imaginable: from bananas to “Guitar Hero” guitars to dance mats. However, a Twitch streamer has now taken it to the next level by using her brain waves. Twitter users are divided: Is this the future of gaming or just a clever hoax?
What’s it all about? Elden Ring created a huge hype upon its release in 2022, as the games from developer FromSoftware are known for their high difficulty level. However, the first players quickly conquered the game and looked for new challenges.
A real competition has emerged to outdo each other with ever more absurd controllers. A Twitch streamer, who goes by the name “Perrikaryal,” is currently a hot contender for the title of “Strangest way to play Elden Ring”: She plays Elden Ring with her brainwaves.
Dragon-slaying with brains
What does the streamer do? Perrikaryal, who claims to have a master’s degree in psychology, is connected to an EEG during her streams. This is a medical device that can measure her brain activity. The streamer uses this to control her character in Elden Ring – at least partly.
How is this possible? EEG stands for electroencephalography and is a method from neurological research and diagnostics. Electrodes are placed at defined points on the head. These electrodes can measure voltage differences on the scalp that are triggered by activity in the brain.
The device then represents the brain activities in the form of waves, which at first glance don’t make much sense. However, the streamer has managed to associate a specific brain activity with an action in the game.
So far, with this method, only one attack seems possible, meaning Perrikaryal does not (yet) control solely with her brain. Nonetheless, she has already succeeded in using this method to slay a dragon in Elden Ring by repeatedly striking it with her shield.
Why only one action? Perrikaryal explains that it’s quite difficult for the program to differentiate between individual activities. Visualizations work well for her: She imagines pushing something very heavy forward to execute the attacks.
It’s basically like a switch: either the activity is there or it’s not, and the program doesn’t need to differentiate various patterns. If one puts in a lot of effort and moves little, it should be possible to link different activities with buttons or key combinations.
“Imagine a quadriplegic destroys you in CoD”
What are the reactions like? On Twitter, where the story was shared by journalist Jake Lucky, users are initially impressed: “I think the ‘Unique Controller’ category is over. It can’t get more impressive than this,” writes one (via Twitter).
Some viewers are downright euphoric: They already see this as the future of gaming. And it’s long overdue, as the technology has existed for some time. Especially for people with disabilities, this technology could open up completely new possibilities:
I am so glad to hear this story, as it gives a lot of severely disabled people hope to be gamers. Just imagine being totally destroyed by a tetraplegic in Call of Duty!
Twitter user “ZeusKabooze” via Twitter
I love technology like this; the future of gaming is bright.
The advantage over Neuralink, a comparable project by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, is that the EEG is a non-invasive procedure that doesn’t require a chip implant in the brain. However, Perrikaryal explains that she wouldn’t be opposed if the Tesla chief contacted her: then she wouldn’t have to constantly apply saline to increase conductivity or recharge her device.
However, there are also critical voices who suspect a clever fake behind the footage: the gameplay could have been pre-recorded or a friend could be controlling the character off-camera with a controller. “Streamers are just making things up now. Viewer counts must be pretty low,” writes a Twitter user.
Others argue that controlling with the EEG is indeed possible and not as complicated as some might imagine. Perrikaryal herself provided proof in a stream that she wasn’t using a controller or dance mat to attack. We’ve embedded the relevant clip for you here:
In a stream that is currently still live, the streamer shows on her Twitch channel how she trains the program to recognize different activities (as of January 24, 2023).
The idea of controlling a character solely with one’s brainwaves still sounds like science fiction. However, work is already underway on a “Deep Dive” that is meant to immerse players in the game world with all their senses. Here’s what it’s all about:
The “Deep Dive” is supposed to immerse us into MMORPGs like never before – What is it actually?
