Roll 7 has always been cutting edge: it began by developing games about knife crime, and is now about to launch titles that are directly controlled by players’ brainwaves.
The Coventry and London-based developer was launched in 2003 to develop an anti-knife-crime video game for television station Channel 4, with the intent of helping young people who have proven difficult to engage.
Director Simon Bennett said: “At heart we’ve always been a socially responsible games developer, set up to find new ways of communicating socially responsible messages to young people”
In an effort, to, literally, get inside the heads of players Roll7 has been working with NeuroSky, a revolutionary piece of technology that allows users to control games using brainwaves: a set of bio-sensors placed on the player’s head measures electrical brain activity, works out their emotional state, and affects the game being played accordingly.
In late 2009 Roll7 launched the first application with NeuroSky called Invaders Reloaded – an updated version of the classic Space Invaders game where the player’s mental state directly controls the ship’s weapons.
However the company is also set to use the technology in aid of its socially-responsible roots by creating a game that teaches young people with behavioral difficulties how to deal with problem situations.
Simon added: “We’re working on a game called Red Mist, which is set to come out in 2011. It’s based on prison life, and events depend on how relaxed and focused the players are. It helps teach them how to handle difficult situations where they need to remain calm.
“Although Roll7 began in London we made a conscious decision to have a base in the Midlands – because that’s where the more exciting stuff in gaming is being done, and that’s where we needed to be.”
For more information on Roll 7, visit www.roll7.co.uk