Playing mindgames in a neuroscience, art and tech vision of the future

A gaming novice, I approached Brendan Walker's Oscillate 'ride' and Karen Palmer's Syncself 2 neurogame with trepidation, but came away a convert

I'll put my hands up: I'm not a gamer, and I have never used a virtual reality headset before. It was therefore with some apprehension as well as genuine excitement that I approached playing in the Virtual Reality Arcade and Interactive Exhibition at Sheffield Doc/Fest.

Oscillate is the brainchild of Brendan Walker. A former military aeronautical engineer turned interactive designer and visual artist, he is well-placed to bridge the gap between science and art. He recalls that his first time using virtual reality was the Trocadero in Manchester in the early 90s; I now feel like even more of a luddite and park my penny-farthing outside in order to give this new-fangled technology a go.