Digital Illusion - Entertaining the Future with High Technology
book review by Dan Sarto
For every person with a formal education in some flavor
of technology, there are a hundred more people who have had a smattering
of classes here and there, and probably a thousand more people who are
self-taught, self-proclaimed "software designers" or "computer
consultants" whose technical zenith was learning to program Basic
on an Atari 800. Considering the quality of the vast gobs of "beta
release B0.15 rev 2" software available for downloading off the Internet
nowadays, it often seems that the latter group of "Certified Atari
Technologists" lead the development charge at many companies.
Marketing as a Must
As a breed unto themselves, entertainment system developers often seem
driven by the same frenzy, (marked by a fast pulse, shallow, rapid breathing,
and a sweaty forehead), that overtakes many 14 year-olds, and 40 year-olds
for that matter, prowling the long entertainment software isles of large
computer stores. With entertainment giants like Sony, Disney and Fox putting
huge dollars behind any and every conceivable, and ill conceived, entertainment
medium, the people that now drive critical product development decisions
aren't always highly skilled veteran technologists, but rather media executives
touting their latest mega marketing idea. You know, the ones who rig the
schemes where the same cute characters adorn pillow cases, theme park rides,
audio cassette sing-alongs, and interactive multimedia game cartridges,
all at the same time. There's an old joke that needs updating for the '90s:
What did the drummer say at his first paying gig? "Would you like
fries and a Mighty Zanthrogeek CyberWarlock action figure with that?"
It's a given that product development in any industry must be market-driven.
However, many high tech consumer entertainment companies appear driven
by some blinding, hyped-up vision of what their focus groups and market
research teams think people will buy. Their expensive miscalculations,
a veritable cornucopia of "entertainment pabulum for the masses,"
fill the $9.95 bins at WalMarts and CompUSAs throughout the land.
So, what can we do to take a step back, catch our breath, and gain some
much needed perspective on the dizzying worlds of digital entertainment?
For starters, there's a book we need to read.
Getting Some Perspective
Clark Dodsworth Jr., a specialist in converging entertainment technologies,
has gathered together a group of leading technologists to create a masterpiece
- part history lesson, part blueprint, part vision of the future - that
is a must read for anyone who hopes to make a living involved with creating,
producing or distributing entertainment technology.
Digital Illusion - Entertaining the Future with High Technology
is a tightly woven compilation of 35 chapters covering critical aspects
of what Dodsworth refers to as the "entertainment beast and its future."
Each chapter is penned by an industry expert, and then edited and crafted
by the author into one comprehensive volume like little gems fashioned
together into a magnificent tiara. Digital Illusion marries intelligent
and descriptive narrative with detailed facts and explanations. This book
has something for everybody, and should appeal to a wide audience. Newbies
and wannabees can find solid fundamental descriptions about core concepts,
tool sets, and practical uses of key technologies. Expert technologists
can find fresh perspectives on where this "stuff" came from,
where it is today, and where it's going tomorrow.
The book is broken into six sections. It starts with the recent history
and context for the disciplines of high-tech entertainment, followed by
sections on the infrastructure that enabling technologies are delivered
on, the "magic" of content, the delivery of the "experience,"
and the evolution of the requisite keyboard-less hardware platforms. The
book finishes with sections on 'Serious Fun,' the culmination of the high-tech
experience in theme parks and special film venues, followed by the last
section on the business of entertainment technologies, which focuses on
subjects like arcades, multi-player games, virtual worlds, and digital
productions.
Digital Illusion puts many important topics into perspective. Often
overlooked in the frenzied, market driven pace of digital entertainment,
product development is the fact that technological innovation is built
in layers. Expanding from and building upon the framework of today's technology,
inventions create new and hopefully more popular products, and most importantly,
types of entertainment experiences. Dodsworth's book doesn't proselytize
or pretend to "know it all." On the contrary, it puts an analytical
spin on the why, when and hows of creating the pure enjoyment, the emotional
and visceral "rush" we all experience with successful digital
entertainment, in order to help us think and make more educated decisions.
Gizmos Don't Sell
The cool new spaceship simulator you ride at your local theme park,
the awesome kickboxing game cartridge you pop into your PlayStation, or
the "most excellent" movie featuring dinosaurs flossing with
human entrails, are all created using tools and technologies that have
been painstakingly designed and planned for many years. But why do kids
flock to that one simulator at the arcade, or why does one effects laden
movie become a blockbuster while another dies an undignified death? How
many thousands of entertainment products are made using the same technology,
with the same financial backing, only to fail miserably?
One important reason, and one of the most important lessons I learned in
reading this book, is that technology doesn't sell. An enjoyable experience
that can compete with other enjoyable experiences does. (Maybe that explains
why my wife would rather go to a movie with her friends than have a quiet
dinner with me.) As Dodsworth's book so wonderfully points out, it is the
coupling of the myriad of digital development goodies with thought and
creativity that produce successful entertainment experiences. For example,
the latest and greatest 3-D computer gaming engine may have taken three
years to develop. It renders, it slices, it dices. It allows for innovative
and truly state-of-the-art gaming experiences. Of a handful of multi-player
games created with that engine, one title sells as many copies as all the
others combined. What's my point? My point is that the best and most successful
entertainment technologists are those that not only understand the origins
and evolution of the platforms and tools they use, but marry that knowledge
with smarts and creativity to build new and better experiences for the
consumer.
For every truly remarkable additional gizmo, gadget or black box, there
are hundreds, if not thousands of innovations that come from the convergence
and application of these latest gizmos that no one has done, or done well,
before. With fresh paradigms of digital technology development and creative
convergence being pioneered every day, the future of digital entertainment
looks exciting and enticing. The next great digital entertainment experience
is in the clearing just up ahead. Tread cautiously, because you might be
walking through a digital mine field to get there.
Digital Illusion - Entertaining the Future with High Technology, edited
by Clark Dodsworth Jr., Addison-Wesley and ACM Press, 1998. 545
pages, illustrated. ISBN: 0-201-84780-9.
Dan Sarto is an accomplished "hack" technologist and Chief Operating
Officer of AWN.
Note: Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor
by sending an email to editor@awn.com.
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