SWG & Massive Future
Where will these games [massively multiplayer] be 10 years from now?
OK, this is where I get to put something on record so I can fall flat on my face later, right? Let's give it a shot:
They won't be games. You might not be covering them. They'll be accepted major parts of popular entertainment and the media. Online worlds are a mediumgames are just one sort of content they can carry. It just so happens that the entertainment industry is the only industry seriously advancing the field right now. You could fit the entire current game industry into online worlds, because there's absolutely nothing precluding you from putting The Sims, Command and Conquer, Mario, and Quake all into one virtual world (well, except time and money). The reverse isn't true. I think embedded or tiered experiences is going to become a major trendbut that's hardly a prescient prediction since we're already seeing projects like World War II Online making the first gestures towards it.
From The Chatty
-
Things are going to get interesting!