Future of gaming?????

I thought i'd share my thoughts with you all......I've just finished watching a Bruce Willis film called Surrogates (2009).

Film trailer


The following video outlines the concept of the film


The film made me think about the gaming industry - due to the proliferataion of digital technology the gaming industry has been radically transformed - PS3 and Xbox Live enabling players to play one and other via a broadband connection, online poker games and online gaming (world of war craft and second life). Some would argue that second life is what Henry Jenkins would term a participatory culture or in terms of David Gauntlett's collaboration, a garden that everyone can work on together (building and existing in an alternative world). It is the link with second life that I want to explore further.

The film to me hinted at the potential future of the gaming industry/culture (the blending of the two is what Jenkins refers to as convergence). In this sense the boundaries become blurred as to what is real and what is a game. It made me think about whether the platforms of web 2.0 and the continuing development of digital technology would realise this. In the future could we have a surrogate double (someone who looks like the person we'd want to be) that lives out our life without the fear of pain, accident etc? Could we do all of the activities that we wanted to because there is no fear of consequence? accident? We would ultimately have as many shots at life as we want to yet somehow it's not a game as our surrogate would continue to perform our occupations etc.

A very controversial idea??

Watch the film and see what you think.