nuance intelligence

Gaming, specifically the participation in graphically rich virtual worlds, is the metaphor for media in the 21st century.  Having already overtaken the Hollywood box office in terms of gross annual revenues, the sociology of gaming suggest that it’s a media metaphor which will gain in influence over the coming era.  Look no farther than the success of Farmville (100 million players) to realize that it’s not just 17 year olds (and their post-adolescent uncles) who fall into the gaming stereotype.

Jesse Schell’s talk at the Long Now Foundation, tilted “Visions Of The Gamepocalypse” is the most intelligent and comprehensive treatise on this phenomenon.  He is an extraordinary speaker, and will connect especially well with those who appreciate the dry humor implied by the paradoxes revealed by a systems perspective.

The video highlight embedded here (chosen by the editors at FORA.tv, a cool new-to-me site with smart talks and panels from conferences), is a clip about how advertising fits into the gaming world, provides a peek into the style and pace Schell brings to the topic.

If, like so many of us these days, find yourself in uber-overwhelmsion (tip to Sally), and the idea of watching a 2-hour video is absurd, you owe yourself this treat.