When the spectator’s belief in the visual (un)reality and the diegetic
story of the film is increased, an ‘hallucinatory’ process is turned on: the
spectator will be confused and will accept the (un)reality of the film. The
danger of technological visual developments is that we can be at the mercy
of technology and the worlds we create. However, we do not necessarily have
to be ‘apocalyptic’ about our future and its technology, as mentioned
previously, just remain cautious and conscious of the potential threats
implied in technology in order to obtain the maximum possible benefit from
it.
2.3. Videogames
We seem to enjoy escape into fantasy and reverie almost as
much as we enjoy ‘reality’ and the modern agencies of mass
communication are calculated to stimulate those worlds with
such an extraordinary vividness that we are hardly aware
that there has been any change in our status. The signals are
so taken for granted, we are taken by stealth as in dreams
(Berger, 2002: 11).
There are obvious analogies in the genesis of cinema and videogames.
Both media have grown from being a ‘segment’ of other arts to become
independent and relevant forms of entertainment. Like cinema, videogames
were the result of several experiments and socio-political conditions that
facilitated their development; and, like film, videogames are being created in
a society which often reflects its beliefs, fears and value systems.
It was in the 1960s when technology and art converged to create a
fertile field where new media could grow. In the 1970s videogames were
culturally integrated and found their place in the arcade next to the pinball
machine and in homes alongside the TV. By the end of the 1980s, videogames
started to compete with cinema and television, providing an alternative
source of diegetic worlds, worlds that are seen on screen, which are an
artificial production of image and sound, but ones with which the player
could interact (Wolf, 2002: 29-30). The influence of this technological
entertainment in western societies created a significant impact that is
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