Dramatic Foundations - Computers as Theatre - page 64

of the ancient Greeks. Cinema as a distinct form diverged from drama as
the result of the impact of a new performance technology on form, struc-
ture, and style. In complementary fashion, computer games can be seen to
have evolved from the impact of dramatic ideas on the technology of inter-
active computing, interactive affordances and graphical displays. Computer
games incorporate notions of character and action, suspense and empathy,
and other aspects of dramatic representation. Almost from the beginning,
they have involved the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic senses (one need
only watch a game player with a joystick to see the extent to which move-
ment is involved, both as a cause and effect of the representation).
At the blending point of cinema and computer games in the 1980s and
1990s were such forms as arcade games like Battle Tech and Poll Position ,
as well as sensory-rich amusement park installations like Star Tours that
used motion platform technology. Such systems involved tactile and kin-
esthetic senses; some even investigate the inclusion of the other senses as
well through both performance technology and direct stimulation to the
nervous system.
“Virtual reality” systems, as discussed in Chapter 6, increase intensity
through techniques described as sensory immersion. Visual immersion is
typically delivered through a wide-angle stereoscopic display; behind the
scenes, the computer is generating the scene appropriately with tracking
data from the immersant's movements and gaze. That same tracking data
is used in delivering spatialized audio. Through the use of special input
devices like specially instrumented gloves and suits, people can move
about and interact directly with objects in a virtual world. Interestingly,
the fi rst virtual reality systems and applications were developed for non-
entertainment purposes like computer-aided design, scientifi c visualiza-
tion, and training.
The great days of arcade games tailed off when home game system tech-
nology began to include good 3D graphics and specialized controllers, such
as the Nintendo Wii, released in 2006. The Kinect, a motion-sensing input
device for the Xbox 360 console that also responds to spoken commands,
was released in 2010. Such devices enhance kinesthesia and proprioception.
They also demonstrate the functional use of gesture and speech, enhancing
interaction at the level of language.
The level of enactment is composed of all of the sensory phenomena
that are part of the representation. Because of the evolutionary processes
described previously, it seems appropriate to say that enactment can in-
volve all of the senses. Sensory phenomena are the basic material of both