Imagine a horror game that detects players’ fear, scares them at the best (or worst) time, and changes environments depending on player’s emotion.
Video game audiences receive emotion from stories, characters and more, but until now, it was always one-directional communication. With emotion recognition technology, audiences can now become part of an emotional exchange by looking at a camera.
At the Sept. 15 meeting of the Nola Game Developers, Benjamin Anding and Boisy Pitre, who work for the emotion measure technology company Affectiva, presented emotion recognition technology called the Facial Coding System for computers and smartphones. This software can read human’s emotion from facial expression by using the camera on the smartphone or laptop.
Game developers in New Orleans gather in an office space every third Thursday of the month, in order to network and show game demos or presentations.
Paul Teall, who has worked at video game developers and publishers EA Games and the now defunct THQ, organized the game developer meetup in the city.
After the 2005 “Superman Returns” game did not sell well for EA Games, Teall was laid off and then hired by the digital media company Turbosquid, which is based in New Orleans and provides 3-D models to various gaming companies. Teal also worked on the development team of the 2011 game “Saints Row: The Third” for THQ, which he produced with a team in Champaign, Illinois.
Teall said that since his wife didn’t like cold places, they moved back to New Orleans so he could work for the digital media company Turbosquid again. Their office is located on 935 Gravier St. in Suite 1600.
“In this industry, you need to constantly improve what you are doing, and keep up with the latest technology,” Teall said.
According to Teall, New Orleans is focusing on recruiting game developers, and more game developers are coming to New Orleans.
According to Greater New Orleans.inc, any software developer can receive tax incentives for up to 25.2%.
“I think it’s good to be in New Orleans, no matter what you are doing,” Teall said.
Because of the influx of people in his field, Teall decided to build a community among video game developers by organizing regular meetups.
The monthly gaming gathering starts at a bar in the Capdeville Restaurant, located on 524 Capdeville St., before going through a side entrance on Capdeville Street to move into Suite 102, a small conference room venue inside 643 Magazine St. The office space is sponsored by the collaborative workspace and business center Launch Pad.
About 10 to 13 people attended the meeting. Everyone viewing this month’s presentation on what Affectiva is developing was excited about the technology, and as soon as the presentation ended, people asked questions, and discussion carried on until the end of the meeting. The software development kit for smartphones and the application program interface function of the Facial Coding System is free for companies or individuals that make under 1 million dollars per year.
The next Nola Game Developers meeting will take place Thursday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. The meetings provide opportunities for those who are interested in video game developing to meet with professionals and get information about the latest technology. Join the developers group or RSVP to the next meeting here.
