We like to think that we take our gaming seriously, but this new device really ups the stakes.
'Blood Sport' is billed as the ultimate in immersive gaming and is the work of Canadian duo Taran Chadha and Jamie Umpherson, aka Brand & Grotesque. It seeks to mirror the loss of blood whilst playing a game with a loss of blood in real life - as you are hit in the game, your blood is extracted into collecting bags.
They've achieved this by essentially hacking the 'rumble' component of a controller via an Arduino Board, which both conducts the signal to the blood collection system, and also keeps track of how much has gone out, as well as storing the vital statistics of the user, so that the machine powers down before you do.
They're aiming to make the device a fixture in clinics across Canada to encourage people to give blood in a more fun and enjoyable manner than normal; challenge your friend to a blood battle, and whoever 'gets dizzy first' is the loser (or, rather the winner in terms of donating blood).
The are duo are trying to raise $250,000 (£142,000) on Kickstarter to develop a 'refined multi-player unit' before pairing with organisations in the gaming and medical communities to spread the concept. Watch the video below to see it in action.
It would certainly be a safer and more fun way to fight all future wars, perhaps we can get some advance orders to some crazed military leaders out there?
