Oculus, Sony, Valve, and even Samsung have been heralding virtual reality as the future of gaming and entertainment for what feels like an age now. The few glimpses we’ve seen of the fledgling technology have both impressed and intrigued us, but titles that resemble the kind of games we can expect to play when these companies finally launch their respective headsets are still few and far between.
The unusually named Headmaster, however, is a good example of what we can probably expect to play as the technology finds its feet.
To my British brain, the word “headmaster” immediately conjures up images of either Professor Dumbledore or Roald Dahl’s old schoolmaster giving him the cane. For others around the globe, though, the word may mean very little, or perhaps simply elicit sniggers from those who’ve spent too much time watching naughty videos online.
But Headmaster, which is currently in development for Sony’s PlayStation 4 virtual reality headset, Project Morpheus, is all about using your head – and only your head – to impress. Monitored by the headset’s many sensors and gyroscopes, players are required to literally jerk their noggin around as virtual foot/soccer balls fly towards them, putting spin on the ball and sending it in the direction the game commands.
Judging from the short promotional video which was released during the E3 trade show, the game begins with open goals and slow-moving balls for the headset wearer to get their bonce on the end of. But in order to impress their club’s owners and, for some reason, “earn your freedom”, players will soon find themselves being ordered to guide balls past various, increasingly difficult and bizarre, objects, culminating in fireworks, explosions and even wanton piñata destruction.
While this does look rather fun and is a clever use of the Morpheus headset, particularly for those unaccustomed to gaming, one can’t help but chuckle at the mental image of players sitting on their sofas at home, jerking their heads back and forth as they frantically head-butt thin air like mad chickens. I wonder how long after the game’s release it will be before a photo of someone idiot wearing a neck brace and looking sad turns up in either The Sun or the Daily Mail alongside headlines like “‘PlayStation Broke My Neck’ – Are Your Children Safe?” and “Too Much Head Can Be Dangerous”.
Source: YouTube/PlayStation; Headmaster
Featured/insert image: Headmaster