Feb 2018 v01 online

on an emergency management AR game for
kids.
A lot of schools are currently testing it too,
because it’s an interesting way for them to see
how tech and augmented reality fit into the
classroom. AR allows for more discovery-based
learning, which is what teachers have found
motivates the kids more, makes them want to
learn.
Outside of the classroom, new tech has also
seen an uptake in slow learners regarding
reading; for instance, a lot of kids now are
already fluent in reading by age four, because
they’ve been learning from computer games.
Even if those kids would normally lack
motivation in terms of learning to read, they
want to learn because otherwise they can't play
these games. It's very easy to discover ways that
AR, same as VR or MR have got the potential
to change behaviour. It’s got such an extreme
impact on people, compared to when you're
reading a story or watching a YouTube video.
It’s the kind of experience that has the potential
to change behaviour.
They are obviously aware that there is a shift,
and one of the trends with young consumers is
that they want to be creative, they want to
collaborate. It’s no longer all about watching a
movie; it's more fun to engage something you
can interact with. That trend is changing the
entertainment format incredibly, and changing
how we tell stories. Storytelling for the longest
time has been linear, and now it is becoming
interactive, which people are still trying to get
their heads around. Storytelling becomes an
experience.
The tradition of linear storytelling was a huge
challenge for the entertainment industry where
I got out, because up until then, making a film
was like writing a book. It’s a linear story. You
weren’t supposed to change the ending or be a
character in it; but now that’s what people
want, to be a part of that experience.
Augmented and virtual reality make that
possible. I can be part of the story, I can be in a
movie with virtual reality. Trying to get the film
industry to adapt to those changes is the
challenge.
The film industry has been living off grants,
and the gaming industry never had that
opportunity. They had to create fan-based stuff,
and a lot of games were created because they
were a work of love happening in the afterhours.
Not only that, but through
crowdfunding, the community of consumers
are now all of a sudden in charge of what gets
made, by deciding what projects get the budget.
If something has got a following, if it’s got a
fanbase, then that thing will get made.
Everyone in the film industry is very aware
that budgets are shrinking and audiences are
disappearing and moving to different platforms
– especially the younger ones. Television
channels as we know them one example of a
medium that is struggling. They are even
starting to look into digital platforms they can
provide; TVNZ is just in the process of
developing a kids’ platform featuring games.