Venerated SEGA developer Yu Suzuki (Hang-On, Virtua Cop) changed the way people played. His titles have been revolutionary regarding how players interact with arcade games and arcade game cabinets. But Suzuki thinks there's more than can be done. Like?
Like arcade game players getting chipped — as in getting some sort of motion controlled implant. While interviewing Suzuki for Arcade Mania, he told us about his interest in new ways of interacting with games:
In Medicine, you have artificial heart devices, or people that have some sort of chips in their bodies, to be able to keep track of vital signs. So, it doesn't have to be a scary thing, but you could put a sensor here (points to his arm). You know, a bit like in The Matrix.
It's not really something only in the future, some people already have them, chips in their bodies. If for some that would be a bit too scary, then you could also do something more simple, like using wristbands or a pendant. So using devices like these for sensing would be good I think. I think that for arcades games I want something that's a bit futuristic.
In Arcade Mania, he also talks about things like the possibility of using cell phones to control arcade games and what "realism" means in arcade cabinet design. In an industry where so many of the pioneering game creators have moved on or have become complacent, Suzuki still seems fresh with innovative ideas for Japanese arcades.
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