Use Your iPhone to Create a Girlfriend

[gregoryg]

Use Your iPhone to Create a Girlfriend

A new Japanese iPhone app turns barcodes into virtual girlfriends.

Whether it is the ball-rolling cubism of Katamari Damacy or the butt-poking action of Boong-Ga Boong-Ga, the Japanese have the weird game market cornered. Cybird plans to uphold this proud tradition with its newest iPhone app, Barcode Kanojo (Barcode Girlfriend). The game, which turns scanned barcodes into virtual girls, offers the first - and probably only - opportunity to enter Wal-Mart for some cheap furniture and leave with a girlfriend.

Here's how it works - if you see a barcode that catches your eye, snap a picture of it with your iPhone camera. Open that picture in the Barcode Kanojo app, and it will generate a three-dimensional girl for you (3D in terms of graphics, she'll likely be 1D in personality). A collection of minigames will allow you to build up the girl's affection for you, and if you get bored, you can beef up your collection of virtual girls by scanning additional barcodes or stealing girls from your friends.

The amount of technical prowess going into the app is slightly impressive. By utilizing the "Live 2D" game engine, Barcode Kanojo's seven trillion model variations appear in a hand-illustrated style. Apparently, they will animate smoothly, with movements responding to the phone's accelerometers.

If you're actually interested and have a Japanese iTunes account, Barcode Kanojo will be free to download and play, with built-in product placement covering the developer's costs. Readers can subscribe for a beta test on the official site [http://www.barcodekanojo.com/].

Source: Andriasang [http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/08/10/barcode_girlfriend/]

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[Onyx Oblivion]

Stealing girls from your friends?

That sounds...dirty.

 

[Andronicus]

The technology and programming sounds fantastic. They seriously couldn't think of a better purpose for it though?

 

[Eagle Est1986]

Huh. Well, it's certainly wouldn't be the worst thing I've seen on the app store.

 

[Zhukov]

God damn Japan.

Trust them to come up with this.

...

Also, is it wrong for me to think that the technology behind this actually sounds kind of cool?

 

[silver wolf009]

This unnerves me. Does this mean that my canned soup can become a hooker? It just... doesnt feel good.

 

[minimacker]

I can only say one thing related to this.

Bacon!


Edit:
Oh, and 'only in Japan'.

 

[ohgodalex]

This is why people hate us, guys.

 

[Korolev]

Oh jeez..... I feel sorry for young japanese kids - they are clearly growing up in a warped culture. Japan is going through a rough spot these days, and while we don't want them to revert back to the bad-old days of militarism and rigid societal laws, jeez they really need to find another vent for their, uh, "frustrations" other than 2D pretend girls.

 

[Kris015]

Hahahahaha. Man i love Japan

 

[Milo Windby]

The only thing that would make this better is a Yaoi/Boyfriend ver. of this app... and me owning a Iphone q_q

 

[Nightfalke]

So where is the Android version?

 

[Ewyx]

Japan, it's like permanently tripping on LSD.

 

[mad825]

I guess this would the first app I would get if I'd get an Iphone.

buy a game and get a free teasing picture, Profit!

 

[YonderTunic]

Japan is amazing, in a really kinda creepy way.

It sounds like they put a lot of effort into making that app, but....why?

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

It's like creating something capable of synthesising renewable energy at a low cost, and then using it to create jell-o for naked wrestling. Well, there must be something more useful the technology could be used for.

 

[Subzerowings]

So you can scan the barcode of milk and get a girlfriend?
...........really?
Perhaps I should consider moving to Japan....