Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
17
The Future, Design,
and Virtual Worlds
The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.
—Albert Einstein
17.1 SOME PREDICTIONS FOR THE FUTURE
AND THEIR IMPACT ON YOUR DESIGN OUTLOOK
In 1996, Bob Cringely wrote: “People care about people. We watch version after version of the same seven
stories on television simply for that reason. More than 80 percent of our brains are devoted to processing
visual information, because that's how we most directly perceive the world around us. In time, all this will
be mirrored in new computing technologies” [1]. Bob Cringely was right; this progression toward visually
based computing technologies is occurring universally. Just think about how much more graphic our screen
interfaces have become, replacing text with images of wrenches and gears meaning “this is the edit button,
and that's the settings button.”
We are due for some major changes in our relationship with computing technology. Here are three factors
that will contribute to this new experience: (1) the end of Moore's law, (2) increased adoption of haptic
technology, and (3) increased levels of customization available to consumers for all the products they buy.
17.1.1 T
he
e
nd
of
m
oore
'
s
l
aW
Yes, all things must end someday. “Moore's law” [2], a speculation by Gordon E. Moore in 1965, that the
computer chip performance would double every 2 years has been falling short of that mark for a few years
now. This is not necessarily a disaster; rather, it is an opportunity for the computer industry to rethink and
redeine the computer from the chips up. Already, we have seen the development of computers shift focus to
include cloud computing so they can expand their capacity, the development of more effective software, and
the increased intercommunication of the devices we use daily.
17.1.2 i
nCreased
a
dopTion
of
h
apTiC
T
eChnology
A laptop with a tactile touchpad may be sitting on your desk, and your mobile phone may be giving you haptic
feedback on every incoming e-mail. Haptic technology [3] is being subsumed into our interfaces everywhere.
17.1.3 i
nCreased
C
usTomizaTion
of
p
roduCTs
From websites offering customizable T-shirts, posters, and coffee mugs to online 3D printing of your own
designs, customization [4] is driving our consumer market from “designer content” toward “user-designed
339
