ABSTRACT
Attempting to predict the future trajectory of videogames and videogaming is a highly problematic, perhaps even foolhardy, undertaking. The speed of technological change and the unpredictability of development are considerable. Sitting in a late 1970s’ living room, playing Space Invaders on the Atari VCS (Video Computer System), it would surely have been impossible to predict the near-photorealistic 3D graphical environments experienced in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound made possible by Xbox and PlayStation 2, for example. The future of videogames is not difficult to guess merely because of the pace of technological change and the creative potential placed under the fingertips of developers and designers. Indeed, and in stark contrast to such a technologically deterministic stance, consumer take-up and resistance are important factors and are significant in shaping the nature of videogaming as a set of cultural practices.
