The Journey to Wild Divine Preview – Welcome to Just Adventure +

It’s not an adventure game, not an action/adventure nor even a puzzle game, so what is this product called The Journey to Wild Divine? Well, it looks to be something that adventure gamers, especially those who are stressed out from too much pixel-hunting, may find interesting; especially as the screenshots look as though they were ripped from the pages of Myst or Schizm.

The developers are promising that this first-ever, truly ‘inner-active’ gaming experience will harness the player’s mind and body as they navigate a stunning fantasy world.

The intriguing website has some absolutely stunning trailers and panoramas from the different realms of The Wild Divine along with an explanation of the biofeedback technology that has been used to enhance the player’s experience.

Now, I’m hoping to serve as a guinea pig for this unique product and we should have a review for you soon, but in the meantime the company press release describes The Journey to Wild Divine in much more detail than I ever could!

UNIVERSES OF ALTERNATIVE HEALTH & WELLNESS AND COMPUTER GAMING COLLIDE

Startup technology innovator, game developer and music label The Wild Divine Project has announced it will release The Journey to Wild Divine on November 1, 2003 for PC and Mac computers. The Wild Divine Project produces transformational multi-media products and their first product, The Journey to Wild Divine, is an interactive multimedia adventure that integrates the power of a healing journey with innovative human-computer technology to help cultivate an enhanced sense of self and soul-awareness.

While traditional gaming relies on the user’s reaction to, and interaction with, the gaming environment, The Wild Divine starts on the inside. First, players hook themselves up to a biofeedback module which measures heart rate and other functions. Following a training session where guides familiarize users with the interface and the types of mind/body exercises they will need to master to navigate, players explore a lush, fantastic world of challenges, adventures and other experiences.

The Wild Divine is both a healing journey and exhilarating adventure. PhD biomedical engineer Kurt Smith and animator/developer Corwin Bell and their development team, located in Eldorado Canyon, have created a deeply detailed, lush world that will reward gamers with hours of pleasure. Playing the game also reduces stress, centers the mind and calms the body. Benefits may extend well beyond the playing experience as the game shows promise as a therapeutic tool and a focusing exercise for businesspeople.

“I’ve always wanted to experience the amazing things that wizards, sages and mystics experience in movies I’ve seen, books I’ve read and dreams I’ve had,” says Bell, who met Smith while rock climbing. “In The Journey to Wild Divine, users can actually experience mythological images and states of being; the game is cast in a way that it looks and feels like magic, but it’s all working within the psyche.”

“The journey that Corwin has developed is very profound,” Smith says. “All his life, he’s been churning on it and working on it. When you combine his spirituality with graphics capabilities, the artistry is mind-blowing. I’ve seen people sit down with it and have transforming experiences.”

In addition to Bell, Smith and the development team, who work in a game studio Smith built in the canyon, other individuals have served as what they call “allies” to the project, including biofeedback specialist Dr. Liana Mattulich, former Buddhist monk Nawang Khechog, one of Tibet’s foremost world musicians and composers, Dr. Jean Houston, a world renowned researcher in the development of human capacities and Joan Borysenko, Ph.D., author of Minding the Body, Mending the Mind, Inner Peace for Busy People and other books on health, well-being and spirituality. Smith recorded the music for the game in his own studio, the Crucible, and it features Wild Divine recording artists The Wild Divine Band as well as Chris Berry.

The Journey to Wild Divine, including the biofeedback hardware, starts at an introductory price of $129.95. The first units will become available online and in select retailers on November 1, 2003. In the weeks leading up to the launch, Wild Divine will host demonstrations at events as diverse as the EarthDance in Northern California, The Institute of Noetic Sciences Consciousness Conference in Palm Springs and the Yoga Expo in Los Angeles.