There are countless forms of entertainment in the world. As times change, some new ones emerge, some transform to something very different than what they used to be, some gain more popularity and some may wither away or even practically disappear.
Usually the older an entertainment form is, the more mature it is. Theatre hasn't changed much in a long time, and the same thing applies to books, even though it's a significantly younger form of entertainment. The stories of course usually represent the contemporary age, if not in terms of story, then in terms of ideas, style and other details. Nevertheless, the underlying structures in these remain pretty much the same.
The most major element of what people understand as entertainment has perhaps been television for many decades - especially during the latter half of the 20th century. Of course what we see on television can be divided into several categories, and accordingly separate forms of entertainment. There are movies and television series, which are obviously entertainment, but then there are also news and other kinds of educating programs, which often also have an entertainment aspect to them - which is why they are sometimes called infotainment.
From what we can see on TV, movies can in my opinion be considered a quite mature form of entertainment, as I don't think the latest boom in 3D movies much changes the essential experience. Developed technologies are certainly part of the evolution, but it seems like the path of making ever more impressive digital effects seems to be close to an end too. Remakes of old classics (such as the currently running new Nightmare on Elm Street) and of even not so well-known older movies can also be seen as an evidence of the maturity.
Television series differ from movies, but one could still argue that the same thing could be said about them too: technology and techniques have improved, but the underlying structures stay the same. For example, here is the classic introduction of the original Outer limits from the early 1960's:
The most major element of what people understand as entertainment has perhaps been television for many decades - especially during the latter half of the 20th century. Of course what we see on television can be divided into several categories, and accordingly separate forms of entertainment. There are movies and television series, which are obviously entertainment, but then there are also news and other kinds of educating programs, which often also have an entertainment aspect to them - which is why they are sometimes called infotainment.
From what we can see on TV, movies can in my opinion be considered a quite mature form of entertainment, as I don't think the latest boom in 3D movies much changes the essential experience. Developed technologies are certainly part of the evolution, but it seems like the path of making ever more impressive digital effects seems to be close to an end too. Remakes of old classics (such as the currently running new Nightmare on Elm Street) and of even not so well-known older movies can also be seen as an evidence of the maturity.
Television series differ from movies, but one could still argue that the same thing could be said about them too: technology and techniques have improved, but the underlying structures stay the same. For example, here is the classic introduction of the original Outer limits from the early 1960's:
And here is the newer Outer limits series introduction from the late 90's:
Both series tell short, mostly independent sci-fi stories, even though the themes changed as the world around changed. In the ca. 35 years between the two series there had been progress in not only the technology but also in terms of production techniques, so already based on this it can be stated that the form was not mature 50 years ago. And by the way, as the world still has changed in the last decade, I wouldn't mind a new installment to the series - perhaps motivated by the emergence of 3D televisions combined with the introductory line "we will control all that you see and hear".
But how about now? Television series are a younger form of entertainment than movies, so are television series accordingly also less mature than movies? I would say yes. One cause for bigger changes in television series might be that movies have had large budgets for a long time but I have the impression that television series' budgets have lately enlarged significantly. From the viewer point of view on the other hand there has been a shift to more complex long-term storylines that expand through episodes and even seasons - even if the show isn't a soap opera. One example of this is comparing MacGyver to its 21st century semi-equivalent, Michael Scofield from Prison Break. Another even more obvious change is of course the emergence of reality television. Reality is here to stay, the only question is which particular shows or what types of shows remain the biggest hits in the long run. I bet they don't try to fool the contestants though, like in There's something about Miriam.
Television however, although still a powerful media, has started losing its throne to entertainment related to computers. A lot can be done with computers from personal videos to games and various forms of social media, and this diversity further ambiguates what is understood as entertainment. In any case, in terms of computers, what is most clearly defined as entertainment, is of course computer and console games.
Since development in the gaming industry has been so intimately related to the progress in computational power - which itself has been extremely rapid - and to learning to take full advantage of these capabilities, games are still prone to huge changes. Another factor that will be causing changes in the near future is entirely human: as video games are a very young form of entertainment, so are its consumers mostly young. As the first generations of gamers are getting older, there will probably an increasing demand for different kinds of games.
What the future in gaming holds for us, is indeed an interesting question. We know how huge projects video games nowadays are and how impressive they can be at their best. When playing modern games, it's worthwhile to think how much progress has already happened. After all, this is how simple a very famous computer game looked like less than 40 years ago:
But how about now? Television series are a younger form of entertainment than movies, so are television series accordingly also less mature than movies? I would say yes. One cause for bigger changes in television series might be that movies have had large budgets for a long time but I have the impression that television series' budgets have lately enlarged significantly. From the viewer point of view on the other hand there has been a shift to more complex long-term storylines that expand through episodes and even seasons - even if the show isn't a soap opera. One example of this is comparing MacGyver to its 21st century semi-equivalent, Michael Scofield from Prison Break. Another even more obvious change is of course the emergence of reality television. Reality is here to stay, the only question is which particular shows or what types of shows remain the biggest hits in the long run. I bet they don't try to fool the contestants though, like in There's something about Miriam.
Television however, although still a powerful media, has started losing its throne to entertainment related to computers. A lot can be done with computers from personal videos to games and various forms of social media, and this diversity further ambiguates what is understood as entertainment. In any case, in terms of computers, what is most clearly defined as entertainment, is of course computer and console games.
Since development in the gaming industry has been so intimately related to the progress in computational power - which itself has been extremely rapid - and to learning to take full advantage of these capabilities, games are still prone to huge changes. Another factor that will be causing changes in the near future is entirely human: as video games are a very young form of entertainment, so are its consumers mostly young. As the first generations of gamers are getting older, there will probably an increasing demand for different kinds of games.
What the future in gaming holds for us, is indeed an interesting question. We know how huge projects video games nowadays are and how impressive they can be at their best. When playing modern games, it's worthwhile to think how much progress has already happened. After all, this is how simple a very famous computer game looked like less than 40 years ago:
