Immersive Interaction

Okay, a little off topic, but with the announcement of the pseudo-AI capabilities of characters in The Sims 2 (see article) and the mainstreaming of video game character movies, episodes and music videos, it would appear that a new form of entertainment is taking significant hold.

Stick with me here, it's not gonna happen tomorrow or even in a year or two, but imagine the convergence of immense computing power, unlimited storage capability, large flat screen televisions, controllable animated avitars and easy to use digital editing software. MTV has already embraced the trend of home-made animated content from video games (generally online worlds) that arose with groups like Windspire Entertainment and its Star Wars Online music videos and Red vs. Blue done in a style it's creators call "machinima." It has a new show "Video Mod" premiering on MTV2 September 18 at 9:30 p.m. ET, that "transforms music videos by injecting a unique video game environment and featuring characters from one or even a few video games." And let's not forget about Playboy's spread "Gaming Grows Up" that demonstrates the graphics leaps that game design and animation have taken.

So what am I saying? Well, the fear for the industry used to be that digital technology would allow actors to be replaced by digital replicants that directors could control and voice on their own (the premise of S1m0ne). I think what is more legitimate is that we will see animated content arising from anonymous characters available in video games, especially online universes where players could cooperate and create an ensemble event. And that leads to a larger question: will the wider availability of easier-to-use and more satisfyingly sophisticated content creation tools further fracture the consumption of mass media? And where do the dollars go?