A new age of fun is taking shape. After the success of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Minecraft: Story Mode, producers are thinking up better and better ways of adding interactive features to popular digital entertainment, from video games to TV shows. Netflix – who started the trend – is at the head of this exciting change, releasing one title after another. Let’s take a closer look at some examples of interactive entertainment and work out what makes it so appealing.
Immersive Gaming
This form of entertainment has perfected interactive storytelling. It’s easy to see how gaming experiences inspired this new brand of TV show. After all, isn’t controlling a show very much like playing a video game? Familiar titles with interactive narratives are The Last of Us, The Walking Dead and Call of Cthulhu, but these are hardly the only ones highly praised by gaming enthusiasts like PCMagazine. Being given a say in the outcome of a story is a strong incentive for people to love such entertainment.
Interactive technology has found its way into the heart of fun and games, taking different forms to suit different audiences. Live streaming is a great example. It enables direct interaction between a user and the event being transmitted. This is how William Hill live casino delivers its games. Roulette, baccarat and hold’em poker are live streamed to the players without a hitch or flaw, with the players still calling the shots from behind their desktop or mobile screens. And don’t forget about the ultimate interactive entertainment today: social media.
Unique Shows and Movies
Back in April 2019, the streaming platform released its latest interactive hook, You vs. Wild. Viewers direct Bear Grylls as he treks through harsh terrains – mountains, jungles, deserts and more. How safe this venture is for him is debatable, but measures are in place to prevent wrong decisions from causing actual disasters. The point is the show’s novelty and high entertainment value. People engage with Grylls like never before, their interest in his adventures heightened by their control over his fate. Moral and existential stimulation is the least this Netflix production is able to create.
The most exciting Netflix project to look forward to now is a special Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt episode. Set for release in 2020, it’s meant to be a spectacle of a send-off the show’s fans will love. However, Netflix isn’t the only brand with good news on the future of entertainment. Wales Interactive is producing The Complex, a live-action sci-fi movie featuring ground-breaking interactive technology for PC, console and Nintendo Switch. This year will really see the boundaries between movies and video games pushed in new thrilling ways.
Developers of all kinds of entertainment are clearly trying to connect with their audiences and create better, more immersive experiences. Viewers and gamers are also happy to embrace each fresh source of amusement, especially when it values their individuality. Through the stories of video games, shows and movies, people get to apply who they are to dozens of unique scenarios.
