ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses course pedagogy, lecture notes, and class observations of experimenting with futurology and facilitating classroom discussions on the future of entertainment technology design. Emerging entertainment technologies are redefining the notion of immersive storytelling and interaction design by enabling media consumers to take a more active role in designing personalized content that is meaningful to their lived experiences. This shifting landscape in the entertainment technology space necessitates a future-oriented design pedagogy in course curriculum, classroom learning experiences, and research mentoring. The chapter documents the authors' experiences of applying futuristic design methodologies like fictional narratives and speculative design in existing pedagogical curricula, through case studies in classroom and research settings. The case studies describe ways to challenge students to think about their own entertainment media professional practice grounded in a future where digital entertainment is intertwined with social, cultural, environmental, and political factors. The chapter concludes by discussing the challenges and opportunities in exploring futuristic research topics and the lessons learned through these classroom activities and research mentoring experiences.
