あなたがコントローラです / You are a game controller
Project Natal Xbox 360．「あなたがコントローラです」．何も持たずに，ジェスチャーだけで，ディスプレイ上のイメージを操作できる．僕は，Wii を持っているけれど，Wii はコントローラを使う．何か物理的なものを持って，行為を行う．卓球とかチャンバラとか，実際にラケットや剣といった物理的なものを持って行うスポーツは，Wii Sports resort でも，やりやすかった．これが何ももたないでやるとどうか．何か力が入らないような気がする．でも，Wii だって，何かを持っているけど，例えば，卓球でボールを打った感じは，ディスプレイ上のイメージとコントローラからの音と振動の連動で作られているので，実際とは違うはず．だが，そんなことは感じさせない．振動があるからなのか．Natal の場合は，何も持っていないから，振動が伝わるということがないから，まさにディスプレイ上のイメージと音とで自分の行為の確認を行うことになる．視覚・聴覚で確認したことが，身体全てを制御する．身体の行為すべてが，視覚・聴覚に集約される．
Natal のデモ映像を見ていて思ったのは，サッカーをやっていたときにボールを蹴ろうとして空振りした感じ．スカッて感じ．でも，これは物理的なボールを蹴ろうとして，身体がボールから反作用を想定して緊張していたものが，ボールとの衝突がなくて，身体の力という緊張がボールという行き場をなくして，それがすべて自分に返ってきた感じだから，最初から物理的な接触がないとわかっていたら違う感じになるはず．物理的フィードバックなしに，いろいろな行為を行うこと．物理的フィードバックを，視覚と聴覚のみで代用すること．外から見れば，実際の物理的関係の中での行為と同じような行為をゲームで行っているわけだけれど，脳はどのように作用していているのか．このような物理的フィードバックなしの行為を行い続けることで，僕たちの身体に蓄積されている経験は何をもたらすだろうか．
そういえば，中学でテニス部だったときに，最初ラケットなしで素振りをやらされたことを思い出した．あれは，「型」を覚えさせるためだったような．でも，実際，ラケットをもつその重みとかでやっぱり筋肉の緊張の具合は異なる．当然ですが．「型」で，今，能とかパントマイムとかを連想してしまっています．Natal とパントマイム．でも，Natal での動きには，パントマイムのうまい人が見ている人に感じさせる「重さ」，物理的な「抵抗」みたいなものが感じられないような気がする． まあ，パントマイムが目的ではないから，これもまた当然ですが．とりあえず，ここまで．長い時間やってみないとわからないです．
Project Natal Xbox 360. "You are a game controller." You don't need any controller. You can control the image on the display via your gestures. Talking of the gesture for game, I have Nintendo Wii which needs Wii remote for playing the game. We normally do actions with something physical like a racket for table tennis or a sword for Kendo. In fact, I can easily play those sports in Wii Sports resort. How about playing them without something physical to keep holding? I think that I would have the strength for it. Although we hold Wii remote in order to play Wii games, it is different between the feelings for hitting a ball with a racket and for hitting a ball image on the display with Wii remote which gives us sound and vibration. However, many people do not care this difference and feel as if Wii gives us 'real' feelings. We do not hold anything physical in Natal, therefore we can not feel some vibrations. We have to control our actions based on only the image on the display and sound. The sense of sight and hearing controls our whole body actions.
I consider about the feeling of swishing the air in soccer when I watch demonstration movie of Natal. It is like something empty. When try to kick the ball which is the physical entity, my body gets some tenses for a feedback from the ball. Then, I miss my kick. Our body tenses can not go to the ball and return to my own body. If I understand that there is nothing physical contact, my body do not get any tenses. As a result, we can do our actions without any body tenses because there is nothing physical feedback in Natal. Maybe, we use our sense of sight and hearing as a substitution for our body tenses to the contact of something physical. Even though we do the actions in Natal as same as the ones in the physical world, how our brain reacts in this situation? If we keep doing this no physical feedback actions, our body will store new kind of experience and what will happen for us.
Writhing this entry, I remember that I did a practice swing without a racket many times when I belong to a tennis club in a junior high school. Maybe, this practice teaches me 'form' for hitting the ball in the tennis. However, there is the difference between a practice swing with a racket and without racket because our body tenses change for the weight of it. 'Form' reminds me of 'NOU' or Pantomime. Natal and Pantomime. However, there is no 'weight' or physical 'resistance' in Natal in comparison with good pantomime. Anyway, we have to play long time in no physical feedback environment like Natal long time in order to understand its effects for us.
I consider about the feeling of swishing the air in soccer when I watch demonstration movie of Natal. It is like something empty. When try to kick the ball which is the physical entity, my body gets some tenses for a feedback from the ball. Then, I miss my kick. Our body tenses can not go to the ball and return to my own body. If I understand that there is nothing physical contact, my body do not get any tenses. As a result, we can do our actions without any body tenses because there is nothing physical feedback in Natal. Maybe, we use our sense of sight and hearing as a substitution for our body tenses to the contact of something physical. Even though we do the actions in Natal as same as the ones in the physical world, how our brain reacts in this situation? If we keep doing this no physical feedback actions, our body will store new kind of experience and what will happen for us.
Writhing this entry, I remember that I did a practice swing without a racket many times when I belong to a tennis club in a junior high school. Maybe, this practice teaches me 'form' for hitting the ball in the tennis. However, there is the difference between a practice swing with a racket and without racket because our body tenses change for the weight of it. 'Form' reminds me of 'NOU' or Pantomime. Natal and Pantomime. However, there is no 'weight' or physical 'resistance' in Natal in comparison with good pantomime. Anyway, we have to play long time in no physical feedback environment like Natal long time in order to understand its effects for us.