RFID and Video Games

You and I both knew it was bound to happen, and now it has. At the E3’s expo for video games, Activision announced a new sort of video game called Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure.

So, what is so special about this video game? Well, the game comes with 3 action figures, including the main character (Spyro) and 2 sub-characters. Each toy has RFID technology built into it. This allows the video game and the toy to sync through a specialized reader, dressed up to look like a “magical portal”.

When you place one of the RFID enabled action figures on the portal, they appear in the game. You can then play through part or all of the game with this character. When you need a change, you can merely take off one figurine and put on another (“summoning” that character into the game). All the leveling up, stats, and upgrades that you do with one character is actually saved on the RFID enabled toy, allowing you to take the toy to a friend’s house and have all your character’s abilities, level ups, and stats come with you.

You can also take a character and transfer it from the 3DS version of the game to the Wii, PS3, or Xbox 360 version. While 3DS is only single player, the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360 versions are multiplayer, including a player versus player section, where you and your leveled up character can battle your friend’s favorite character. There are 32 available characters in all (with more on the way) though you have to buy the other characters separately.

So what is the significance of this? To some this may seem like a mere marketing ploy to get kids to buy more than the original game (just like booster sets of popular trading card games). However I like to look a little closer. This is a new level of interactivity for kids. These characters are the kid’s versions of QR codes, connecting the real world with the online world.

Think about it, the character toys are marketed as having “brains” inside of them. Kids can grow attached to these characters, putting much playing time and leveling up into them virtually, and then having them fight alongside GI Joe once there mom says to turn off the video games.

Is this a soon-to-be popular trend among toy makers? What if Mattel’s Barbie characters were able to know which other toys were in the room? What if you were then able to import Barbie and her friends into a “Sims” sort of environment? (For those who don’t know “The Sims” is a popular computer game where you take over the life of your Sim person, making sure they do everything from go to the bathroom to getting a job to getting married.)

What if all of your toys were able to be implemented online in a virtual massively multiplayer game? What if you could level up your real life GI Joes by having them battle Cobra’s minions in your room, only to bring them online and fight alongside school friends as you bring down Cobra’s headquarters?

Is this too far in the future? I think not. As Skylanders has shown, the gap between real and virtual play is becoming smaller and smaller. Soon, (with the advancement of 3D technology) I think the gap will be all but gone.

What do you think? Do you think this RFID enabled toy phenomenon will grow? Or do you think it is merely a fad which will die out in no time? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Do you have any RFID implementations that could help your business? If so, contact Ron Pulvermacher of Matrix Product Development. With more than 20 years working with RFID, Ron and the team at Matrix can provide the RFID solutions and innovations you have been dreaming of.