This last weekend I made a trip to the Tokyo Game Show to check out the newest Xbox and Playstation systems. While I will not be buying any of these systems (for various reasons), I've always had an interest in videogames. Films and animations are great for conveying stories but only in a linear fashion. In a videogame, you set up the virtual world's structure and then let the user roam around freely, relinquishing control over the system gives the user a sense of freedom. Add on to the fact that now thousands of players can be in the same virtual world at the same time doing the same things that are possible (eating, sleeping, buy, etc..) and not very possible (flying, killing, being all sorts of characters or races) and you have the makings of some engaging escapism.

There are similarities with installation art, architecture, and 3D videogames. They all must be designed with the idea that there will be users interacting within a space.

System interaction design.

The above picture shows some of the newest arcade systems in Tokyo. These new systems are networked with other booths so many people can play at the same time. They have touch screens to allow the user to click on a more extensive menu list for greater control, and they have a unique card system. Basically looking like trading cards, each card has a unique identifier (possibly an RFID tag) imbedded into each card. So what players do is buy these packs of cards to be able to use special items within them. They go to the arcade and then place the cards down on the reader and are rewarded with the special items on the card! In the soccer game on the left, users buy trading cards with individual players on them. The cards hold the stats of the players which can then be placed down on the soccer field in the position the user wants the card to play, then a networked game starts between one user's cast of players vs other users.

The videogame on the rightside image is a fantasy game similar to World of Warcraft. The users buy cards that might have certain spells or items on them. These can then be placed on the reader in front of them, giving their character unique items and characteristics. And when you kill an enemey coins spew out of him on screen, whereupon the user must touch the screen in order to collect them.

While the system is clever for encouraging users to spend more money (they have to buy cards just to spend money on the videogame), it's also a great interactive system that integrates new technology (touch screends, RFID) to make a more engrossing and unique experience.