Ch 8 Interactivity

Reading Summary

Smith talks about how interactivity is the force that drives new media, but that it is hardly defined. Part of the reason is because its meaning can change and is flexible. Different mediums are interactive in different ways. We watch TV, but we play games. We use our voices to call and our fingers to text. These mediums are all interactive, and they all count. There are varying degrees of interactive, however. Watching TV is not very interactive, while playing a game may be much more immersive. This leads to him saying that interactivity can be stronger or weaker depending on the medium.

Outside Example

The obvious example is VR. VR allows you to take a more personal role in your games and play from a new, more interactive perspective. This trailer is of Half-Life: Alyx, which I can talk about.

Reading Connection

VR is perhaps the most interactive media currently available. It takes the choices and controls of games and intensifies them by immersing you in the experience. Typically, your field of view matches that of the characters, and there is a sense that you have become your avatar. Interactivity is at its highest here.