One day I had an idea. It was a relatively simple idea. Something someone else may have thought of, but something I had not seen yet. As I sat on my couch, I wrestled with the concept of ignorance. What did ignorance really mean? “I’d define it,” I thought, “as the lack of knowledge with the ability to be taught.” It was an interesting idea, if not slightly abstract. But how to explain to someone else in a way they’d understand?
“I guess I’d take a mechanic as an example,” I remember reasoning. “A mechanic knows how to take apart an engine. They know the difference between a carburetor and a fan belt. They know how to change oil, replace a tire, hook up a car battery. I’m sure I could be taught all that, but right now I’m ignorant towards it.”
Putting the idea aside, I grabbed one of my Nintendo Wii-Motes and began to dive into the world of a video game. It wasn’t long until the idea hit me. What if…what if someone could design a video game about automotive repair? Would there be an audience for this? Who would use it? As my manic mind ran with the notion idea after idea swamped my brain.
Consumers may not want a product like this, but what about schools? What if a product like this could be made and marketed to high schools? First-year courses could use video games, which young people (such as myself at the time) enjoy playing, to teach about vehicle repair without risk of cost or injury! As I starred off into space I wondered if there was more to the idea than just car repair. Why stop there? What about a game for home repair? A game that teaches novice people how to unclog a drain or install a light switch? How would that work?
Using the Wii-mote as the tool, I reasoned, the trigger button could be used to “grasp” items, such as a hammer, a wrench, or a screwdriver. The other Wii-mote would be used to hold the pieces. In combination with the Wii camera, the system would detect movements. Brilliant!
Over time I started to forget about the idea, but recently I picked it up again. A few years ago, I purchased a Playstation VR system and bought a horror/rollercoaster game. Using the PS Wands players pick up weapons that they use in the game. This got me thinking again…why couldn’t a VR system be used in this way? What would this invention do for high schools, Universities, and Colleges around the world? Could something like this reduce cost, giving students a theoretical framework that was cost-effective before working on a physical project?
For now, this is nothing more than an idea. A spark of an invention in my mind that I think could work. Maybe one day it’ll be something more, though. A guy can hope.