Sounds ominous 27 Mar 2007

Korean venture start-up Xtive has invented a subliminal sound sequence that can prevent obsessive use of online games, reports The Korea Times:

"'We incorporated messages into an acoustic sound wave telling gamers to stop playing. The messages are told 10,000 to 20,000 times per second,' Xtive President Yun Yun-hae said.

"'Game users can't recognize the sounds. But their subconscious is aware of them and the chances are high they will quit playing,' the 35-year-old Yun said. 'Tests tell us the sounds work.'"

Xtive spent about a year to create the sound sequence geared toward addressing the concern that Korean teenagers spend too much time playing computer games.

[via Positive Technology Journal]