The 20th century marked a turning point in the art of public entertainment, introducing immersive innovations like television, cinema, and video games. Fuelled by increasing 5G connectivity and promising technologies like the blockchain, many more innovations are reshaping the entertainment landscape of the 21st century. Let’s check out some innovations that are changing how we experience and consume activities that bring us a welcome escape from reality.
Augmented reality
Augmented reality (AR) was once seen as a rather elusive concept, only fit for daydreamers and sci-fi fans. But one mobile game changed everything. In 2016, Pokémon Go grew into a global sensation. This free-to-play game was downloaded by over a billion players eager to roam the streets in search of virtual pocket monsters. Remarkably, this mobile megahit required no specialised headset. Instead, it used a smartphone’s GPs and camera to overlay virtual creatures onto real-world locations.
Pokémon Go might be well past its prime, but countless successors have sought to turn the world into an interactive playground. Games like Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Jurassic World Alive have become standout hits, while traditional board games are looking at AR as the new frontier to appeal to broader audiences with simpler, more intuitive mechanics. From Monopoly: AR Edition to Pandemic: AR Response, many titles are redefining tabletop fun with an AR twist, pairing physical maps with mobile apps, or including 3D visualisation of gameplay elements.
Likewise, world-famous music festivals like Coachella have been working with augmented reality to unlock new dimensions of the event through the metaverse. Long story short, extended reality ventures are opening up new creative and storytelling opportunities for artists and content creators.
Virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) has become a hot topic in recent years – although quite a controversial one. With countless projects failing to pick up steam, except for the mainstream success achieved by platforms like https://www.roblox.com/, many tech observers argue that the metaverse has struggled to gain momentum. Even so, VR is far more than its slightly overambitious Ready Player One-style aspirations.
The technology has made impressive strides, helped by the growing availability of affordable headsets. In gaming, tech enthusiasts can now purchase mid-range VR devices like the Meta Quest 3 for half the cost of next-gen consoles to play titles such as Batman Arkham Shadow, Assassin’s Creed Nexus, and Alien: Rogue Incursion.
Arguably, the relatively poor reception of Apple’s Vision Pro didn’t do much to push greater user adoption of the virtual reality technology. Marketed at the higher end of the price spectrum, Apple’s spatial computer bombed commercially and critically. Still, the mixed-reality headset has just been named Innovation of the Year by the Popular Science magazine. Its next-generation version, scheduled for release sometime between late 2025 and Spring 2026, could turn the tide as the Cupertino-based company plans for a more wallet-friendly option.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence has become quite the polarising topic in an entertainment industry grappling with the ethical implications of its rapid advancements. From crafting scripts to composing music, AI’s capabilities are far-reaching – and tech companies have only scratched their surface. Just recently, OpenAI has granted ChatGPT users access to the most uncannily impressive AI video maker ever created. Generative AI tools like https://openai.com/sora/ turn prompts into photorealistic videos.
Despite the fears surrounding its impact on employment and intellectual property, the transformative potential of artificial intelligence is too significant to discard or ignore in other creative industries like gaming. The nascent technology is ushering in a new era of adaptive and dynamic content in video games, with AI-driven non-playable characters (NPCs) and AI-written dialogues set to redefine crucial fields like storytelling, world-building, and sound design.
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From headsets offering cinematic experiences to tabletop games integrating computer-generated interactive elements, digital transformation is well underway in entertainment. And audiences craving more immersive and extraordinary experiences haven’t seen the last of this virtual revolution.
