The most outlandish sci-fi enterprise of Elon Musk, Neuralink, has for its very first patient a human who is ma king use of their brain only as the sole controller to the video games. No controller, no keyboard, no nothing but pure thought. Nothing could be more surprising a headline than this one, which appears to be delivered straight out of a cyberpunk novel, but hold on, it is real, and it is happening right now. The company made the announcement, and the Internet, as usual, had a lot of opinions about it.
In case you missed it, let us briefly summarize the main point from the tweet: Neuralink, which is a startup focused on brain-computer interface technology and was founded by Elon Musk, managed to implant its device in a human patient who thus represented a huge leap in the development of the technology that aims at assisting the severely paralyzed to regain the lost independence. The patient, whose nationality is hinted to be UK, is most probably in the UK according to a reply from Robert Dewees.
But let us tell the truth for a second. The first thought that crossed gamers’ minds when they heard “play games with his mind” was not the medical miracle but the question of what game was being played. Which game is being played? User MystyxSama had the answer and it was both the perfect and the most disappointing: Dawn of War 3. That’s correct. The power of controlling your neural impulses to communicate with a computer, and the selection of game is a well-known to be boring 2017 real-time strategy game. “Play with your brain, chooses a bad game,” said another user, Viperel, and honestly? Mood. The gaming community’s collective ‘bruh’ could almost be heard. It’s like being given the keys to a spaceship and then driving it to the corner store.
The reactions online were of the whole range of feelings from shock to skeptical disbelief and they also included the typical gamer humor. A lot of people regarded it as something great. “This is so cool!” was the comment of CryptoCazzino. Some users immediately started mentioning the future possibilities. Tekarok 007 speculated, “I guess, this technology will bring the matrix world to life,” right next to a thinking emoji. StrangerOnTheRoad had more specific anime-inspired dreams: “Give us Sword Arts Online style HMD…. and then let us have a waifu gaming experience. LET US LIVE!”
Nevertheless, the internet would not be what it is if it did not have its cynical people and its jokers. Some people questioned the effectiveness of the product, one of them being Beagle Appreciator, who pointed out that it was “pretty fkin slow” how the cursor moved compared to other assistive devices. Along with that, there were fears expressed. User DarthMegalodong pictured a rather dystopian scenario where the technology was used in reverse: “Imagine you showing up at work and when you sign in, you allow the company AI to just take over for you and to keep you around all day for efficiency reasons.” Yikes! That’s a Black Mirror episode that’s coming soon.
But, the jokes were just too good. Tem PRance was like, “Will he still say his controller was not working when he dies?” WaifuDigital wanted the ultimate power: “Now let me mentally type profanities in all chat.” And _slime_man was the one who linked up every PC gamer’s nightmare with the neural age: “Until VAC slaps him with a ban following a mistake.” Can you imagine getting banned from Counter-Strike because your brain hiccupped? What a nightmare!
Another odd, and somewhat disturbing, cult-of-personality reaction came from TheWarrior, who suggested the love for Elon Musk “should be made obligatory in 2026,” then quickly added they weren’t for a dictatorship…but if they had to pick one, it would be Musk’s. This is a different issue that we are not ready to discuss right now, but it does highlight the split personality of the tech center in the person of the divisive figure.
At present, what does all this imply for gaming? In the short run, it means nothin g much for us. The device is for severely disabled patients. The primary goal is to restore basic communication and control, which is actually way more significant than getting a higher K/D ratio. What about the future? They sound ridiculous. This is the first stage of technology that can lead us to very far away scenarios such as full-dive VR, controlling games with pure intention, or even brain-to-brain multiplayer like in fiction. That’s the seed.
Is it slow and clunky now? Possibly. Did the first patient pick a questionable game to spotlight it? Absolutely. But remember the first mobile phones? They were enormous cinder blocks. For the latest in PlayStation and Xbox gaming news, be sure to check out our related coverage.
