Journey to Wild Divine [Archive] - Thoughts Media Forums

Jason Kravitz

04-20-2005, 08:16 PM

<img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/kravitz_wd_review1.jpg" /> Product Category: Interactive Multimedia Software Manufacturer: <a href="http://www.wilddivine.com">The Wild Divine Project</a> Where to Buy: <a href="http://www.wilddivine.com/Shop/">The Wild Divine Store</a> Price: $159.95 USD System Requirements: Windows: Pentium III (800 Mghz processor), Microsoft Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, or Windows XP, 16 MB video card. Macintosh: G3,G4 or G5, running at 500 Mghz or more, Mac OSX version 10.2 or later. Pros:<li>Innovative biofeedback input mechanism; <li>Teaches relaxation and stress reduction; <li>Entertaining interactive adventure.Cons:<li>Pace of game too slow at times; <li>Pre-rendered graphic scenes limit exploration.Summary: The Journey to Wild Divine is one of those products that cannot clearly be defined in any one category and is blazing the trail for a new sophistication of self enhancement software. At a high level, the Wild Divine is a biofeedback game where your heart rate and skin conductivity are measured and used to drive a variety of events. A peaceful, magical three-dimensional pre-rendered world reminiscent of the Myst series of games serves as the backdrop for this journey into our creative core. While biofeedback and games do not make up the usual product covered at Digital Media Thoughts, I think this offers some innovations and concepts that may filter down to other areas of technology in the future. If this sounds interesting, read on for a full review.<!> <PAGEBREAK> Games People Play Computer entertainment is a billion dollar industry that drives much of the technology we utilize every day. It has grown from a niche market to mainstream in a few decades. We have seen tremendous visual advancements during this time, moving from tiny squares and shapes to photo-realistic 3D graphics. While graphics have improved exponentially, the way we interact with these game worlds has remained relatively the same. There have been a few experiments and innovations and some special application controls, like steering wheels, gloves and paddles, but the mouse, keyboard, gamepad and joystick still reign. The Wild Divine offers a unique type of input that is based on biofeedback. That is, it measures heart rate variability and skin conductance through an external USB device dubbed "the lightstone". What this means is that your performance and advancement in the game is based on your ability to control internal processes. The lightstone has clamps that fit on your three middle fingers. Heart rate variability (HRV) is an interesting measurement which, among other things, scientists are using to assess the negative effect of stress on the cardiovascular system. HRV is determined by the fluctuations in the beat-to-beat intervals of the heart. Studies have shown that increasing your HRV can have a positive effect on stress, anxiety and disease. Skin Conductance (SC) is also a way to determine the effect of stress on the body. When we sweat, the skin is more easily able to conduct a current. Both HRV and SC are a reflection of our autonomic nervous systems, which control many organs and muscles within the body. Using biofeedback we can see a measurement of these metrics and learn to alter them. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/kravitz_wd_review2.jpg" /> Figure 1: The lightstone hooks into the USB port on the computer and connects to your three middle fingers. Besides learning a basic set of rules, one's skill in most action video games is directly related to his or her ability to learn and use the controls. I can recall countless times where I learned to press a series of buttons over and over just the right way to get further in a game. The Wild Divine takes this concept to a new level because learning to master the controls has a physiological effect on your body that can be utilized outside the game world. In this way, the Journey to Wild Divine acts as part game and part trainer. The benefits of this inner control can be applied to areas like stress reduction, relaxation and focus. Because of this, the game cannot be played passively. Like learning any new skill, it requires attention and awareness. However, there is a certain "aha!" moment when each new challenge is mastered. <PAGEBREAK> It's About the Journey The pace of the game progresses slowly as you explore the world. At times I found the transitions between scenes almost too slow, although I am probably conditioned by many other games to move fast. One of the key elements of Journey of the Wild Divine is to let go and relax so the pace fits with this message. Exploring the game world is done by using the mouse. The first person view is a pre-rendered 3D scene with a few elements that you can interact with. The world is quite detailed and nice to look at, although, unlike real-time 3D, the view is limited to a fixed set of scenes. At times I wished that I could look around in different directions and take in the beautiful scenery. The movement sequences are animated using Quicktime. Sometimes the compression of the Quicktime movies degraded the quality of the scene. Besides this minor complaint, the transition between still shots and action is fairly seamless. The game also uses live actors and animals played as Quicktime movies on top of the rendered scene. This is a bit of an older style compared to the complexity of most 3D games currently on the market, but it works for this world. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/kravitz_wd_review3.jpg" /> Figure 1: A scene from the world of the Wild Divine. There is an introduction and a few early "energy events" to learn the basics. The lightstone biofeedback device is used for the energy events which are like puzzles scattered throughout the game. The energy events become more difficult as the game unfolds. One of the first energy events involves a pinwheel. When you breathe out the wheel spins in response to your breath. There are many other unique energy events. Some of them ask you to raise your energy level while others require a deep, relaxed state. Throughout the game you will encounter characters and guides that teach you physical techniques that can be used to solve the energy events. I was able to complete some events quickly, but others took a few attempts and practice before I could proceed. The game took me about 16 hours to finish (scattered over a few days). After the game is over you can play it again straight through or replay a particular event over and over to practice the method. You can work with an event as a meditation technique or a means of relaxation. The story and puzzles can be appreciated by people of all ages. I attended a workshop recently where we were discussing this game. Many parents said that their children enjoyed playing the game and were able to learn to solve the puzzles. <PAGEBREAK> Conclusions Whether you want to focus more in school, keep your cool during rush hour, or walk down the mystic's path, the Wild Divine offers an experience applicable beyond the time spent in the game. The skills learned can transcend the game world and extend into everyday life. It will be interesting to see this type of self-help entertainment software mature and merge with existing and yet to be invented devices and technology. As a software engineer, musician, and photographer, I am constantly looking at the role technology plays in expanding our potential, creativity and consciousness. The Wild Divine Project is encouraging other creative types to develop new applications with the lightstone. One person in the community released an API that can be used to access the data from the lightstone so that programmers can create their own games and applications using the biofeedback device as the input mechanism. There is also a beta in the Wild Divine forums of a multi-player experience where people can control some kind of event collectively. The Wild Divine Project is intended to be released as a trilogy and has two more games planned that use the lightstone. The next game called "Wisdom Quest" is due out this Fall. Perhaps it is the Zen philosophy, but somehow I am reminded of another trilogy. In "The Matrix", skills are downloaded in a near instantaneous burst. Our current games are already giving us an edge up in many skill areas. So called simulations are being used from drivers education to military applications. While I don't think that we will be mastering kung-fu or helicopter piloting any time soon, Wild Divine offers a way to gain a higher degree of control over the subtle inner workings of ourselves. Jason Kravitz is a software engineer specializing in the creative potential of the human mind and its connection to the subtle spaces around us. Jason is the creator of the Pocket PC game <a href="http://darts.divinevibe.com/">DevilDarts</a> and an avid photographer. His photo blog can be seen on <a href="http://jason.aminus3.com">Aminus3.com</a>.