Engineering Relationship - Project Milo and Applications Beyond Gaming

Raise your hand if you're familiar with the Kinect peripheral for the Xbox 360. I assume most readers will be raising their hand at this point and then questioning why they are doing so as I can't exactly see them as they read my blog [1]. But I digress. The Kinect (originally referred to as Project Natal) was released November 4th, 2010 and has gained in popularity and sales ever since. I was originally skeptical due to anticipated hardware and software limitations and its pathetic webcam predecessors: the EyeToy for Playstation 2 and Xbox Live Vision [2][3]. However, having played around with it a few times at friends', I can safely say that I think they did a decent job. The Kinect isn't perfect, but it shows a start in the right direction.

Now, with all of that stated, raise your hand if you're familiar with something known either as Project Milo or Milo and Kate. I'm going to assume that unless you came here through a search engine - specifically searching for either of those - or unless you've already heard me rant about it, then your hands are comfortably placed in their usual computing positions [4]. I'm also assuming that this is for a reason beyond your realization of the futility of raising your hand without the observance of the one who has requested it [5].

Anyway, Milo is a project by Lionhead Studios - known for the 'god games' of the Black & White series, as well as the Fable RPG series. I call it a 'project' because its actual status and nature has fluctuated more than Oprah's weight. It debuted at E3 back in 2009 with a questionable [6], yet impressive, 'gameplay' video. Since then, Peter Molyneux, Lionhead's creative director, seems to constantly push that it will be a retail product (a 'game' if you want to call it that) - even presenting specific features and story elements at TEDGlobal 2010. They've even had their drama director, John Dower, present a technology/concept overview. It appeared to be some mix between The Sims, Animal Crossing, and one of those Japanese dating sims, with the exception that you're more of a friend/older brother character to a young boy as opposed to trying to get lucky [7]. Despite this, the project has been declared 'canceled' several times - the last of which being this past September - with its elements being called 'tech demos' or being incorporated into other games. However, all of these statements tend to get retracted or made all the more ambiguous, so who really knows what has happened to poor Milo.

It's at this point that I will reveal my personal agenda as far as Project Milo goes: I want this thing to both a) see the light of day in a retail product and b) inspire a new field of technological application and design.

Here's why:

1. Milo is visually beautiful - Although that sounds weird, you have to admit that the demos contain graphically impressive technology. Milo's world feels real - having both detailed, manipulatable, settings and a nifty virtual reality touch. The mega-mesh technology and drama direction look to pull you in to the project's setting. In addition, the attention to Milo's character design, both features and expressions, give him a lifelike existence that I might actually grow to care about [8].
2. Milo implements immersive interactive technology - The use of the Kinect for a motion-intuitive control scheme [9] that can integrate other manipulatives and surrounding details into the overall experience (such as giving Milo your own drawing or having him recognize the color of your shirt) is praise-worthy [10]. Furthermore, the proposed concept of a growing personality and conversation dictionary for the character via a network database shared with other players gives Milo (character and project) room to grow and self-patch from potential bugs. All references to Skynet aside [11], this concept of Milo receiving general updates from all users, and integrating current events, gives the project an expansive, extended-game play value. The potential for it to track your other Xbox habits (gaming or movies) and noted events [12] to develop conversations around makes Milo more personal as well. There has also been suggestion that Milo can keep track of multiple individuals at once or over the course of time. You can introduce him to new friends or the rest of your family and build relationship profiles for everyone - thus merging worlds.
3. Milo has character and story - Okay, so this part hasn't been fully revealed but it has been suggested that you are basically Milo's friend helping him through a difficult transition. Milo is a British boy of unconfirmed age [13] who has just moved to the States with his parents. His parents appear fairly stressed as is, so he doesn't get much support from them. Based on some of the released conversation points, it's even possible that Milo's dad may be in the military (or even died while in the military) and that could be the reason for the move, his irritable mother, and more of his melancholy moments [14]. This is where you, as the player, enter Milo's world. He needs someone and, despite your exact nature, you get to provide support, guidance, moral development [15], and basic friendship to young Milo. Storyboard images released back in March portray it as an adventure game with a forest section and reveal Milo's dog, Kate. All-in-all you're taking Milo . . . somewhere, although the joy is really in the journey. It's still inventive storytelling that pulls you into the game, more so than other games typically praised for this.
4. Milo actually has some real-world applications - Not to give any fuel for the fire of the 'violent games train you to kill people' crowd, but Milo or similar programs could be used for training - especially if you incorporate a complex point-and-rank system. A project like this could be used for screening or training foster-care and adoption applicants, counselors, social workers, daycare workers, baby-sitters, and teachers. You could even adjust the program for counseling purposes to help kids work through their own problems or prepare parents and caregivers to help identified children with special needs who will soon be in their care. Preparatory autism training for a new parent? Friendship-building training for shy, bullied, or bullying kids? New child preparation for an adoptive family's current children? Think about potential personality, problem, or training modules that could be developed. Milo could be from a traditional, single-parent, blended, or adoptive family. Milo could have issues with anger, loss, attachment, ADHD, personal phobias, nocturnal enuresis, reading, learning disabilities, stress, or a number of other childhood struggles - individually or in multiple layers. Milo could have interests ranging from artistic, athletic, scientific, philosophic, religious, technological, etc. In essence, Milo has potential to be far more than a recreational game. It could be educational, helpful, and encouraging.

In conclusion, Project Milo, while it seems hopelessly ambitious and difficult to promote as a mere game, involves innovations and potential applications that are too valuable to simply discard or cannibalize for novelties in traditional gaming. Although applications could be negative based on user-developed material [16], I think the potential for a positive utilization of the concept for training and personal development can far outweigh these abuses. I want the next news I hear of Project Milo to be a green light for its continued development and production of a marketable program. I'd hate to think of this as another concept that has been dropped because of short-sighted investors. Seriously, Microsoft, this would give me (and other markets) a reason to even buy an Xbox [17]. I'm sure any number of users would love to adopt (and be adopted by) Milo. Let us bring him home and expand our worlds! [18]

[1] Or can I? . . . No . . . No, I'm not that bored.

[2] Note that I am not linking these.

[3] Also note that I do not include Nintendo's Wii in this as I do not consider it to be operating on the same principles. It functions from infrared signal motion detection while the others are based around image processing.

[4] Or perhaps one is helping you to enjoy a tasty snack.

[5] I may have accidentally introduced something of a Zen koan here.

[6] Wired especially seemed schizophrenic with both hope at the potential and a healthy dose of skepticism.

[7] Although nice debates spawned over just how interactive things would get with Milo. Some even questioned whether it could be used as a course in pederasty. You can look up some of these forum debates and spoofs on your own time if you're really so interested.

[8] The only other time I've even remotely cared about a character in a game is in the Silent Hill series of games (mainly because I could somewhat identify with the character's complexity and struggle).

[9] Which works far better than I ever would have imagined at this stage.

[10] Although this does make me a little leery about what I may have, or may need, sitting around my game area. Not to mention the fact that this will be the first time I'll feel the need to wear pants while playing a video game.

[11] It's been beat to death anyway.

[12] Remember his farewell from the video that included a reminder about your mother's birthday? This could prove potentially more useful than facebook but also gives you more reason to care about Milo - it kind of feels like you actually know each other.

[13] Seriously, I've heard anything from 8- to 12-years old. The suggestion has been made that you are Milo's imaginary friend, which would make me lean toward the younger age, but I've not seen as much confirmation of this. It could be that you are like a sibling, cousin, or real friend. I feel more comfortable with the idea that you are actually a real entity in this world as Milo has an EXTREMELY overactive imagination (or psychosis) otherwise. Meaning someone is bound to notice, diagnose, and eliminate you with a nice pill.

[14] Perhaps even the one clip where he shouts at you is tied to a story line of loss, or even conflict between his parents. There are several interesting routes this could take.

[15] You can choose to either promote or prevent him from squashing a snail, oh my!

[16] Think of Second Life.

[17] Xbox fanboys can shut it. There has yet to be anything brought out that would make me invest that cash when I'm primarily a PC- and retro-gamer. I've got just as good (if not better) games and opportunities in those realms.

[18] A final legal-related note: I do not represent, nor have I received any compensation from, ANY of the companies/persons who own, produce, or develop the hardware, software, or services mentioned above. All products, titles, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I presently have no affiliation with any of the linked or described entities (apart from the link to a previous post of my own).

With that said, if any of the companies/persons mentioned above would like to hire an electrical engineer with experience in logic design, software-hardware integration, and programming using bio-inspired (genetic) algorithms, I'm available and would love to aid in this and similar projects.

To my readers: I apologize for the bit of self-promotion just now but, hey, it's a cool project and I need a career. Also, consider the rest of this blog. I would be the perfect person for working on all levels of the development and could help you bring a realistic Milo home.

A Walk Down Memory Lane Is Like A Walk Down Dysfunction Drive (Or, My Childhood in Silent Hill)

Please allow me to make a confession: I like the horror genre of games and movies. Note that I say horror and not necessarily gore. I actually enjoy the rush from identifying with the lead character's psychological torment and the complex yet oh so simple nature of fear [1]. As such, I get a kick out of the Silent Hill series of games which focus on a single player character's trials as they journey through their own guilty psyches in a custom-made limbo [2] around the terror town of Silent Hill. The games are designed with an amazingly eerie atmosphere of sights and sounds that remind you that you are so utterly alone [3]. The other night I decided to kick back and partake of Silent Hill 2 and I began to reflect on my childhood.

My current read is What Your Childhood Memories Say About You by Dr. Kevin Leman so the connection was not that big of a leap. Leman's basic premise is that your childhood memories can provide a basic look at your private logic as you essentially hold on to memories for specific, personal reasons. This is why I can't seem to remember for what I drove to the grocery but I can tell you about the time when I was four that I left a grocery store with a woman who looked like (but was not) my mother [4]. He also works in some great discussion of nature and nurture, focusing on how the nature leads to the specifics of nurture and how birth order can affect personality development [5].

Two of my earliest childhood memories [6] seem oddly reminiscent of the Silent Hill series. The first happened when I was about three or four. I was playing on my parents' unmade bed and slipped. Fortunately the sheets caught me before I busted my head open; unfortunately, I became trapped in a cocoon of those very same sheets. After squirming for a bit and deciding I was thoroughly trapped, I started shouting for mom to come and let me out. She never came. I continued at higher and higher volumes (and pitches) until it all seemed quite hopeless.

In the Silent Hill series, you're usually alone in the town. Sure, there may be other 'people,' but they are generally unhelpful and not the best company. The foggy city with many blocked paths and gratuitous use of fences provides the perfect atmosphere to make you fell isolated, trapped, and quite hopeless.

It was at that point, while wrapped in a pouch of sheets, that something in my young mind developed: "If I'm going to get out of this, then I will have to do it myself. I can't rely on anyone else to do it for me. It's up to me to solve my own problems - to find my own way." I then worked on a method of guess-and-check to figure a way out of the sheets. After who knows how long, I was free. I then found mom in the next room, completely oblivious to my prior plight [7]. Leman points out that only children typically have memories of "fierce independence" that are "often without anyone else in them" as well as "fearful memories" with themes of "making mistakes" and including "plenty of detail." Sounds like my memory in a nutshell.

The point of my memory, however, is that it awakened a necessary independence in me that has persisted to today. I typically solve my problems on my own and approach life's issues with an analytical mind. I also tend to apply that mind to help others. I have an "if it is to be, it is up to me" mentality that often leads me to take up tasks to help others without being asked (sometimes good, sometimes bad). For example, a few years ago I took over the sound and media at a church plant at which I was leading youth when the actual sound guy failed to show up the fourth week into it. It's about three years later and I'm still helping with sound at my current site's youth and adult services. I had to teach myself at first and eventually received some actual training. I will confess that it's not exactly something I like to do, but it is something I understand is necessary and will do as needed. We had a meeting this past Saturday and our head of media talked about needing to have a calling to that ministry. I guess I received my call back in that tangle of bedsheets. It's my natural inclination to independently jump in and try to fix things.

The other memory is actually a recurring dream (or nightmare) I've had since I was four [8]. In the dream, I'm stuck in this house. It seems very clean but very barren. No one else is visible. When I try to look out the window, I can't - as if there's nothing to look at. I know that the house has white siding but I never see it (odd thing to know but never see). I keep trying to find an exit and explore the house but I never find one. In one part of the house, which is filled with light through all of the windows, there is a dark room (with no windows). I try to go in and see what is in there. As I do, I get this horrid feeling like I'm not alone and then I feel like I'm moving. Suddenly, it's like the lights pop back on and I'm right back where I started in the entrance hall. I'm trapped and alone, but I'm not alone.

I'm sure a psychologist could find many things to comment on here but in the game Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Harry Mason (the game's protagonist) at one point goes through such a room. It's like the developers scavenged my brain to find the most terrifying memory from my past. This memory sticks out to me because of the unease felt in the isolation. Going lucid didn't help. Even when I would stay and wait in the lighted rooms of the house, it was almost as if the dark room would seek me out and draw me into itself. The house was always unfamiliar and it seemed to change itself when I wasn't looking [9] so the dark room could show up right around the next corner or right behind me.

I can't say I've learned much from that dream other than I hate feeling trapped and I hate being messed with. It's somewhat like the movie Cube or the game Portal (or the Silent Hill series). Come to think of it, most of the games and movies I like seem to allow me to vicariously relive and, potentially, triumph over this nightmare. Hmmm . . .

Isn't it fun to self-analyze?

What are some of your childhood memories?

Heads up! I'll probably revisit this topic a few times. It's a good book.

[1] This may be due to or why I am such a fan of The Twilight Zone.

[2] Or Hell, depending on your interpretation.

[3] But not as alone as you wish you were.

[4] Thankfully she didn't want to take a little boy home for keeps but she did have ice cream in her bags so I probably wouldn't have minded.

[5] He seems to have me, my dad, my mom, and several others I know pegged in regard to his birth order theories. If you're looking for a birthday gift for me, I'd love to read his full book on birth order.

[6] Don't worry, they won't all be shared here.

[7] I have forgiven her for this. The radio was on and the kitchen window was open, allowing the screams of youth soccer to fill the house.

[8] Most likely one of the nightmares that was brought on by a head injury I received at daycare that led to many years of EEGs, CAT scans, and seizure fears.

[9] Think of the stairs at Hogwarts.