The game, Leela is to be launched via Xbox 360 and Wii and will use the Xbox 360 Kinect motion sensor or, the Wii Remote controller to guide players through seven interactive meditation exercises based on the seven "chakras," in the body and challenge players to move their bodies to control the graphics onscreen accompanied by a soothing soundtrack. The root chakra exercise, for example, directs players to tilt their hips to seed a virtual planet, while the heart chakra exercise uses players hands to harness fireballs that release gems imbedded in descending rocks. Although the exercises increase in difficulty, there is no importance to complete all of the exercises or achieve a high score.
According to Chopra, video games have been creating addictions to violence, adrenaline and mindlessness, rather than being used for a high purpose such as accelerating neural development and biological evolution. The Leela video game has been designed to emphasize meditation and relaxation. Chopra hopes that by playing the game one will continue to experience overall well being, even when not playing the game.
Using game consoles for relaxation first came to play in the 1980’s when Amiga developers created an in-house game called "Guru Meditation" that required users to sit completely still on a balance board controller. As I am a product child of the 1980’s and have never heard of the game, my guess is that it had very little success. Today however, in the age of Yoga, discovering your chakras and visiting ashrams, perhaps Chopras video game will be a success on the spiritually inclined. What do you think?
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