One thing is clear, however: We are becoming content consumers. With the advent of file-sharing, our patience has moved from several days to several hours to several minutes. We're entering the "I want it now" age, if we aren't already there. If you hear a song on television, you want to know where you can get it, and you want to download it now. Those DVDs of My So-Called Life? They'd take too long to get here. BitTorrent to the rescue!
Years from now, everything will be able to fulfill that instant gratification we all seek without having to resort to piracy or subversion. There would be no more wireless "hotspots," as everywhere will be a hotspot.
Of course, these are all moot points. It's pretty clear, as I go through all these examples, that someone, somewhere, would have thought to make games for these advancing systems. There's so much in our increasingly technobabbled society with which games are so interwoven, not creating them would be impossible.
I, for one, think it's a good thing. Despite what Roger Ebert may say, games are an important part of a lot of people's lives, and not mere distractions from making oneself more cultured. And with the fracas over videogames and violence, it's important to remember they are responsible for advances in technology, and in the very way we think about interactions with each other. They are, and will be, an important aspect of developing not only technology, but our culture.
So, let's all give thanks to William. From his tennis game sprang the feast of options we see before us. Because that's all culture is really: a series of choices of ways to entertain ourselves.
Now, if you'll excuse me, nostalgia has gotten the best of me, and I feel like chopping off some heads.
Tom Rhodes is a writer and filmmaker currently living in Ohio. He can be reached through Tom.Rhod@gmail.com
