From Joysticks to Brain Waves

There are long-standing arguments about whether or not video games influence the minds of young players. A game developer hopes this year to release a helmet-like headset that allows players to control in-game characters... using only the power of their minds.

Even if you’ve never played, or wanted to play, a video game, the technology is moving forward fast, and driving other developments along with it. The newest games go beyond the joystick and involve full body experiences. Guitar Hero lets you rock out with a plastic guitar-shaped controller. Rock Band adds a microphone and drum-kit controllers. The Nintendo Wii - the top-selling game console - uses handheld wireless paddles that detect location and acceleration in 3D space.

The new mind-reading headset was debuted by the start-up company Emotiv Systems at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco in February. Mike Musgrove, who covers consumer technology for The Washington Post, reported on this new development, and he joined Word of Mouth host Virginia Prescott to talk about it.