Johnny Chung Lee Interview

AT: Can you give us a few hints about your next Wii-mote Project?

JCL: Well, one obvious extension of the finger tracking work is to use two cameras to give full 3D tracking. I have a number of other ideas, but I'd like to keep those under wraps for now. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself.

AT: Do you see this type of technology on other platforms (360, PS3, etc.)?

JCL: Hopefully. I think the pixel-pushing race between Microsoft and Sony is becoming less and less effective. The gaming experience will only be marginally better even if the graphics are 100 times more powerful. I personally feel the future of gaming will be in new forms of interaction and immersion. That's where the bottle neck is. The successful products will be the ones that provide something exciting and new rather than a slightly better version of what was done before.

AT: Do you have any ambitions to work as a game designer?

JCL: Not really, actually. I like doing interaction research and only some of my work is relevant to gaming. The skills needed to make a good game are good writers, animators, artists, 3D programmers, etc. None of those are my particular strengths. I would rather be involved in helping design the next 2-3 generations of computing platforms, rather than designing a particular game.

AT: So, when are you applying for a job at Nintendo?

JCL: Hehe. I'm actually not. Though, I wouldn't mind chatting with them about what they hope to do with the next console. I love Nintendo products and I think they are doing a great job. But, I'm not sure I want to make games my career.

AT: Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

JCL: No problem, it's been a pleasure.

You can learn more about Johnny's projects on his web site.