Virtual Games for your Pet Mouse or Hampster?
If you’ve ever wanted to match wits with your pet hamster, Mice Arena could be the game for you.
As in a traditional video game, players navigate a virtual world in a bid to stay alive. The twist? Computerized movements in Mice Arena are mapped to and from the real world, where an actual predator (your hamster) gives chase to a digital avatar (you) by pursuing a real piece of bait. The avatar’s movements in the virtual environment direct the bait around a small tank fitted with actuators that mold and twist an elastic latex floor into the changing terrain of the game map. The hamster’s pursuit in the tank is monitored by infra-red sensors that relay its position to the computer screen.
Source: Wired News: VR Games Pit Pets Against Owners
Mice Arena: Sounds ambitious! Years ago we used to have a pet hedgehog named Heidi .. we could have had hours and hours of fun!
My favorite quote in the article was….
All the games are being designed to remove the dominant “human edge” and allow both animals and people to have an equal chance of winning
Although, I don’t know how I would feel if Heidi kept beating me in that game .. There were times she used to get the “upper edge” in her HIDE AND SEEK game (when she managed to escape out of her cage at night) .. but, I guess she just wanted to play with our Cat because Zeussie Pussy Cat would always find her!
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