During the last couple of decades the internet has revolutionised everything, while mobile technologies have placed the information superhighway quite literally at our fingertips, especially now that most people are using smartphones and tablet devices. The way entertainment is accessed and consumed has also changed, as has the variety and innovativeness of the media we access.
Although not exactly new insofar as the conceptual ideas are concerned, interactive movies and elements have become widespread in gaming applications, providing users with enhanced levels of interaction. This ranges from encouraging people to feel immersed in cinematic movies and narratives, creating the opportunity to decide how stories and gaming activities unfold based upon our own choices.
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Innovative early cinematic examples
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While it might be difficult to believe, interactive movies first appeared way back during the 1910s in the United Kingdom, when cinematic shooting gallery games were invented. Projecting moving images of animals and locations from British imperial colonies, including those in Africa and Australia, participants would shoot at the targets to win prizes. One early example was a game called Life Targets, which enjoyed popularity in 1912.
However, the novelty value proved little more than a passing fad, therefore the concept remained largely ignored over the next few decades. Then in 1954, one of the first driving simulations was released, when Auto Test placed viewers in the seat of a car. Instead of a windscreen, the vehicle would feature a projection screen, where they would see pre-recorded footage of roads within an American town.
The next step came in 1967, when Czech director Radúz Činčera released what he claimed was the world’s first interactive movie. The action of Kinoautomat would stop at nine dramatic points in the movie, whereby the audience was given the choice of two possible outcomes, and the one receiving the most votes would play next. But this was fairly limited in scope as whatever people chose, the conclusion of the movie was always a burning building.
Video games began exploring new possibilities
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When electro-mechanical arcade games first appeared in the 1970s, the concept of interactive movies quickly found an entirely new lease of life. Directly inspired by the very first iteration of this genre earlier in the 20th century, 1974 saw the release of Wild Gunman at amusement arcades. Based around a Wild West theme, players took aim at pixellated cowboys and robbers on the screen, using a plastic gun that fired a laser beam.
The idea quickly caught on and along with appearing at gaming arcades, laser disc technology provided an exciting new medium for games based around interactive movies, particularly during the early 1980s when home entertainment systems were becoming popular. Arguably the most famous was Dragon’s Lair produced by Atari and Universal. Released to much acclaim, this fully interactive game came to Australian arcades in 1984, captivating players with gameplay that revolved entirely around their choices and actions.
During the same year, several other games combining video footage and superimposed pixels appeared, including high-speed fighter plane simulation M.A.C.H. 3 and the Astron Belt space shooter. Now that interactive cinema was now a popular gaming sub-genre, famed actors began appearing in productions. For example, Wing Commander 2 in 1994 featured an all-star cast, including Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, and John Rhys-Davies, amongst others.
The Internet age heralds a new golden era of gaming
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By the time the internet was becoming widely accessible to people, the technology soon began to provide an entirely new market for interactive cinematic gaming. Popular TV shows and movies had their very own gaming releases, featuring the voices and visual talents of leading cast members, including science fiction hits like Star Trek and Star Wars, plus 1990s TV phenomenon The X-Files, all transferred superbly within gaming environments.
Mostly featuring quick time events (QTE), requiring players to make timed actions and responses, the interactive movie genre of gaming continues to flourish in the present day. Indeed, this has become one of the most popular elements incorporated in many of the latest games, particularly via the touch screens of mobile devices, requiring careful attention and speedy swipes or button pressing.
In fact, such is the impact of realistic moving images and video in gaming, the concept of immersion and engagement formed the basis of an exhibition at ACMI, which is Australia’s national museum of screen culture located in Melbourne. This featured a Games Lab area presented by Big Ant Studios, one of the biggest Aussie AAA games developers, who themselves have created many games with interactive movie elements.
Embracing the wider sphere of interactive entertainment
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Given how quickly technologies have advanced over the last couple of decades, entertainment mediums have gradually morphed and merged, especially during an era in which streaming content has emerged successfully. Platforms like Amazon Prime and Netflix have already released interactive movies, while the games industry is taking the idea to completely new levels of engagement.
Such is the mainstream popularity of gaming as a hobby or pastime, the very foundations of entertainment industries have been rebuilt, exploring and adapting to the exciting new mediums and platforms available. Cinematic games are now commonplace, whether using live-action footage or animations, while virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have also provided immersive ways for players to engage with visual environments.
What drives this boom within the interactive gaming arena is player choice, making them feel part of their surroundings or the stories being told, accompanied by technological advances that now make this possible. This makes the level of experiences more realistic than ever before, merging the real world with fascinating virtual experiences, almost making it difficult to recognise one from the other in some cases.
Australia leading the next generation of advances
Having already become one of the leading development hubs for gaming in the world, Australian studios are creating the next wave of interactive movie ideas, filled with intriguing concepts that are shaping various markets and sectors of the wider games industry. This includes the niche iGaming sector, which is focused on providing betting and casino entertainment.
Some of the best online gambling sites in Australia according to topaustraliangambling.com now feature immersive casino games, ranging from VR poker and blackjack to fully interactive pokies with amazing new gaming elements. For this reason, expert reviewers always recommend checking sites that boast extensive game libraries, alongside offering players great support and plenty of bonuses to choose from.
Far more than just games of chance, players now have the opportunity to shape gameplay, sometimes increasing their chances of winning, either by participating in QTE segments or within reactionary elements that now feature in pokies. Indeed, the iGaming sector is driving new ideas for the wider gaming industry, which means that player immersion will be the key to games releases for years to come.
