Excerpt of an article by Soren West, founder at SOREN WEST

Virtual, augmented, and extended realities, online gaming platforms, and better means of streaming live content to more people have already initiated a revolution in live events. The application potential of these technologies is so vast that one makes predictions at their hazard. But we are already seeing a trend toward the integration of forms of entertainment into a more unified ecosystem of experience. Just as early motion pictures became a new medium with the addition of a spoken soundtrack, so will twenty-first century events evolve to engage nearly the entire range of encounters with the world, whether simulated or concrete. Music making, game playing, sporting, shopping, socializing, art making, acting, traveling, and storytelling have the potential to merge into a seamless, dynamic, and continuous environment which one can visit at any time and with any degree of immersion.

One of the great promises of this new integration of entertainment platforms is to create ever more active, embodied moments which involve the whole of our physical and creative selves. The more flexible, spontaneous, and multifaceted the entertainment landscape, the more latitude of activity the participant will have. The addition of virtual elements such as the avatars of other participants does not mean a greater degree of passivity; their presence might occasion an athletic competition or a dance or a musical duet. These connector technologies will also facilitate the interaction of people who would never otherwise know each other. Geographical distance will no longer mean separateness and alienation. Participants from across the globe will be able to define communities based on interest and commercial demand, not on location.

Please read the full article at LinkedIn.