Recently I was reading an article in Time Magazine on gaming. Specifically within the article there was piece on e-gaming, which seems to be taking the world by storm. South Korea is apparently a hotbed of video game action that is being broadcast through live television feeds and millions are tuning in.

Games have always had the power to bring people together, channel energy and entertain. And as the texture, depth and realism of video games is growing people are starting to understand that our fantasy lives can have a place in reality. Since the beginning video gaming has been competitive not only within the game spaces but in terms of peer to peer competition (who doesn’t remember that 80’s video game competition movie The Wizard?). And what seems to be happening in South Korea is that people are realizing our capabilities within game spaces are far more fascinating then live sports; “The 2004 StarCraft league finals, held in the port city of Pusan, drew 100,000 spectators — a far larger crowd than those of that year’s English F.A. Cup final (71,140) or the Super Bowl (68,206).” So with video gamers being granted star status and being paid to match I believe we are finally seeing a shift that is coming into a true virtually dominated age.

With the coming of such systems as the Nintendo Wii and the deep exploration of virtual reality and other interactive technologies one can really begin to see the digital form our future is taking. Thanks to the internet our world is quickly becoming a highly connected, informed and transparent space that we can explore at will and freely manipulate. Rules are being redefined and things are changing exceptionally fast. Video games are no longer necessarily singular, disconnected spaces but vibrant networks of teams working together, accomplishing goals and changing the dimensions of their environment through shared experience, competition and play.

As our capabilities take giant leaps forward we can expect even more profound changes in the world of entertainment. Virtual reality augmentation and 3D digital environments that intersect with our own live spaces, to suggest a few. In fact I am sometimes surprised that television is still such a primary entertainment medium, but I guess I am just waiting for a holodeck. Live action video games played out in non-threatening digital spaces? Hook me up.