Nintendo Patents "Sanity System" for Video Game

[Kire]

Thanks to Raw Story:

A video game and game system incorporating a game character's sanity level that is affected by occurrences in the game such as encountering a game creature or gruesome situation. A character's sanity level is modified by an amount determined based on a character reaction to the occurrence such as taking a rest or slowing game progress and/or an amount of character preparation. That is, if a character is prepared for the particular occurrence, the occurrence may have little or no affect on the character's sanity level. As the character's sanity level decreases, game play is effected such as by controlling game effects, audio effects, creating hallucinations and the like. In this context. the same game can be played differently each time it is played.

View the Patent

[Ready4Change]

1. Hmmm, can you say "Call of Cthulhu?"

I haven't played it, but sounds like a computer version of the Call of Cthulhu RPG to me.

[TroubleMan]

2. They've actually done a "sanity meter" on a couple of other games

Wasn't as complicated as that, but it's been used before. As far as I remember it didn't distort the screen or make hallucinations or anything, but if you sanity meter filled up (or ran out - I don't remember) it was game over.

Sounds pretty cool, though.

[Hatalles]

3. "Indigo Prophecy" or "Fahrenheit" as it's called everywhere outside the US

... has a similar system.

It's a story-drive game unlike anything else I've ever seen. Closest to the adventure game genre.

[ComerPerro]

4. Eternal Darkness had something like this

different random stuff would happen if you went too insane.

Stuff like:

TV screeing showing the "power off" black screen, complete with the white blink in the middle and the sound.

The volume would go up and down, complete with a "volume" display on the TV.

The game would flash back to the Game Cube home screen (but none of your data or game staus would be lost)

The controls would just go nuts.

Your characters head would fall off, and the body would keep walking around.

The game would simulate spiders crawling across the screen.

The game environment around you would get distorted and weird.