Yes, someone playing a game with only their mind, certainly seems like the next step in entertainment for the lazy couch potatoes out there, but really, the technology is being used for something much cooler, and really interesting. For all those who have ever bad mouthed videogames, this is a good story to point them towards.

From the article:

Today, his dream is one step closer to reality. A teenage boy in St. Louis has recently begun playing Space Invaders with a hands-off neural interface, thanks to a dedicated team of software engineers, medical researchers and scientists over at Washington University.

Naturally, there's more to this affair than Classic Gaming. The neural interface system (known in-house as BCI2000) is actually part of very large and sophisticated biomedical initiative. The goal: develop a system of hardware and software capable of translating mental input into real-world consequence. Theoretical applications of the program range across every spectrum of neuro-medicine and could someday enable things such as granting a paraplegic or disabled patient the ability to biomechanically manipulate an artificial limb.

The test pilot on the case is a 14-year old boy who suffers from severe epilepsy. Commands are passed through to the program via a "grid" which is overlaid directly onto the patient's brain. This procedure captures electrocorticographic (ECoG) data - which is then passed through to the BCI2000 software.

The subject trains his brain to manipulate the on-screen activity -- first by wiggling his tongue or hands, then later by simply imaganing the same activities. Through this method, the teen was eventually able to control the Atari port well enough to finish off entire levels, eventually graduating to a 2-dimensional Space Invaders hack.

Read the rest of the article at 1up.com