VIRTUAL REALITY vs. REALITY VIRTUAL
"The time you have to choose what media or entertainment you experience is dwindling.” (by Hideo Kojima, the creator of an iconic game, Metal Gear)Since the early 1980s, the world of video game has evolved at an incredible rate. What started with doughnuts munching alien called PACMAN (R.I.P. Mr. M. Nakamura, the creator of still loved this original game who passed away on 22nd January 2017) has evolved to blockbuster franchises of Pokemon, Final Fantasy, Tomb Raider, Assasin’s Creed, Call of Duty to name a few. It has become another reality for some: You can immerse yourselves into the other world, where you might have a different identity, or truly be yourselves.
Stepping Across Genres
Ever since the beginning, the blockbuster games have been successfully turned into films and TV series. It was a step change from one medium to another. The gamers became moviegoers. One device off, and switch on another. But with available time dwindling, we cannot spare time for games, and then for films.Instead, the games now contain elements of TV or movies within. The actors are involved in creating games to make it feel real, not only providing voice but also images and movements. Stories and clips are embedded in games. It is only going to get bigger and more contents will be packed into one device. A game player is a consumer of music, movies and clips, interactive partner, and maybe a creator, all at the same time.
Reverse Tide – Revival of Classics
On the reverse, Francis Ford Coppola is planning to make his 1979 movie, Apocalypse Now, into an interactive game. “I’ve been watching video games grow into a meaningful way to tell stories, and I’m excited to explore the possibilities for
Apocalypse Now for a new platform and a new generation.”At the same time, the genre of Arcade Games has a come-back. The arcade, of course, is now the online shopping arcade. As people used to put coins into play PACMAN at the arcade, you can put some credit to an online store to play a little game.
What Matters in the End ...
In the end, it is a matter of where you choose to spend your time, what you decide to see, how you want to interact, and in which world. The time is short for the consumers, but the choice is vast. The providers have to be prepared to be present anywhere online/offline now, but, soon, it may be just one place you need to be. Then, the content and message can re-emerge to be the single most important focus, as ever.