Love the smell of Half Life in the morning?

A research team at Birmingham University is working on technology that could be used to add smells to video games.

Professor Bob Stone and his band of computer game experts build and test pioneering software for various government bodies. Their latest project aims to integrate smells with army training simulation programs.

"Smell is the most underrated sense," Professor Stone told Soldier magazine. "But next to vision it is the most information-rich one we have.

"What we are trying to discover is if smell enhances a person’s perception – is it better if we add in the scent or not?"

The real thing

Professor Stone’s team hopes the new technology will better immerse soldiers in the simulation environment, and expose them to the types of smells the could typically expect to encounter on duty. The smells themselves are trapped in jars of paraffin wax, which are stored in a box then wafted into the gamer’s nostrils by a fan.

If the technology proves effective, it could find its way in some form into the commercial arena, potentially through an add-on piece of hardware. Shooters such as Call of Duty 5 and Killzone 2 could fill the air with the smell of gunfire and explosions, while racing games such as Project Gotham could potentially blast out burning rubber.

Of course, other games might take the concept into less comfortable territory. The smell of decomposing bodies in Resident Evil 5, for example, might be a tough sell. As would anything from the obligatory sewer levels that most action titles seem to have. Let's face it: even the most dedicated gamer might object to their front room smelling like raw sewage.