Wetware hacking and Augmented Reality

A little talked about side-effect of video gaming is how it changes your perception of reality.

If you are playing a game constantly, you begin to dream about it, and sometimes perceive the world in that way. This was played out as comedy in a Spaced episode where the central character, after sleepless nights of playing Resident Evil, began to see everyone at a surreal artist's party as zombies.

But it lead me to think about augmented reality -- typically seen as a transparent overlay providing context for the real-world around you. Just as if you're listening to the same CD on a bus ride again and again, you'll begin to hear the music on that bus ride even if you're not listening to it -- video games could also provide additional context for the real world.

Unfortunately, the closest thing to that in London is the video game -Getaway. I hope nobody gets any funny ideas the next time they pass by a parked Ferrari.