Thu 22 Oct 2009
"Dungeons and Dragons+Microsoft Surface" Video: Is Technology Dumbing Down D&D?
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[4] Comments
Let me start off by saying that I realize that this video is a tech demo for Microsoft Surface’s gaming applications, and that this program is not necessarily under development for the consumer market. Now watch this video. WARNING: Have a change of pants nearby! Yours might become soiled.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-BTwHAEECs&hl=en&fs=1&]
When I see this video I get super giddy with excitement.
And not just at the pretty animations and Minority Report-esque menu control. I, as a lover of the art of DMing, get crazy excited about the game-enhancing capabilities of such a setup. Or maybe I should say game-streamlining capabilities. Either way, I know what I mean.
No more waiting for players to sit there figuring out what the range on their powers is. No more triple-tracing my monsters steps to make sure they successfully avoid all hazards and opportunity attacks. Players can see all regular options for movement, powers, magic items, skills, etc. right there on their gorgeous little touch screen menu wheel.
And not to mention the incredible possibilities for downloadable published adventures: professional quality audio narration, video and artwork with background music to introduce NPC’s and set the tone and mood, and dungeon grids from which the DM can hide details and reveal them at his discretion. Supplemental functions would be limited by the imaginations of the programmers.
And that’s where the giddiness stops.
When I see all this fantastic technology melding with the realms of RPG’s, from MMO games, to real-time Twitter campaigns, to playing D&D online through the Insider, I can’t help but wonder if all this is actually stunting our imaginations a bit. Occasionally it feels a little like these various tools and programs are giving us less incentive to think outside the box, simply because they make thinking inside the box so much easier.
Technology like this raises questions. How will house rules be incorporated? To what extent will the applications support user-generated content, like monsters, paragon paths, and magic items? Will the DM have the option to override the programming to bend the rules a bit in certain situations? For a moment, I get a little concerned about things like this.
Then I go back to squealing with glee. Thoughts? Opinions?
4 Responses to “ "Dungeons and Dragons+Microsoft Surface" Video: Is Technology Dumbing Down D&D? ”
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[...] time drawing details onto a dry-erase grid. A prototype of a program like this was shown in the Microsoft Surface D&D video, but that setup and technology looked super expensive to replicate. The iPad could make [...]
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Personally, I think a system like that would more than likely just streamline things. Like you said, I think the potential to adding to the game is tremendous, all the things you mentioned about possible sounds, voice overs, etc, would be really amazing. As far as outside the box thinking, there will always be a place for that, and it’s not necessarily always combat oriented. Through the introduction of skill challenges, normal role-play interactions, and an ever present relationship with the DM as to what you are and aren’t limited to trying will still be there. I don’t like the idea of digitizing rolls, but other than that, I’m excited to see what this kind of thing could mean for my gaming group. Maybe sometime in the future, this kind of thing would be available to the general public.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I’m far more excited about this than concerned, and I probably should have prefaces with that. However, I do see some potential if the options aren’t integrated properly, to limit unintentionally limit creativity in the game. Would this turn D&D into another video game? Absolutely not, I think it’s a great advance. This whole blog is mostly about what social technology can do for the hobby gaming. But I do think we at least need to be cognizant of technology’s possible effects on the game’s brand and feel, positive or negative. Enjoyed your thoughts.