In 2001, Fur made the Painstation. The player’s right hand uses a knob to control the pad. The left hand has to remain on the Pain-Execution-Unit, so it creates an electric circuit. If a player makes an error, he gets heat, lashes or electric shocks on the left hand. The first to lift his hand off the PEU loses the duel.
The art piece got so much success that, last year, the group built better and more painful versions of the PainStation.
Now it turns out that a combat simulator developed for the US military that “shoots” back, delivering an electric shock strong enough to knock down players, could be the next big thing for home-computer games.
VirTra Systems is selling the combat simulator to military and police forces.
Players enter a platform with a 360-degree screen that shows scenarios such as freeing hostages, street gun fights, taking out suicide bombers, etc.
If a player fails to kill an enemy in time and the enemy is able to shoot back, the simulator delivers an electric shock through the player’s hips. “It has the same power as a stun gun. It knocks you down,” said Steve Haag. But “you have to regain your composure, shake your head, and get back in the fight as your life and your unit’s life depends on it.”
Those who play on PCs would love a game that shot back, said David Wildgoose, editor of PC Powerplay. “People are already talking about something like that,” he said. “It is possible, and is just waiting for somebody to really integrate it into a game.”