Archive notice: This article was originally published on May 23, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
3D film technologies, seen in recent years mainly in IMAX cinemas or theme parks, are becoming increasingly interesting again as production and exhibition are digitised. This development is not limited to cinema, but also includes television and video games, as US filmmaker and “Titanic” director James Cameron explained on Tuesday at Microsoft’s Advance 08 Advertising Conference. “3D is not just a technology for cinemas. The real revolution will only arrive when video games and TV content are also produced in 3D,” industry portal Cnet quoted the filmmaker as saying.
“When we see something in stereo—as we normally do—more nerve cells are addressed and more blood is pumped into our brains,” Cameron explains. Three-dimensional visual perception is innate to humans. “There is a good reason why humans are equipped with two eyes and not just one,” he stresses. For him, it is therefore logical that such a 3D representation is more appealing to viewers than a standard image. Accordingly, the technology has much potential not only for film but also for other fields.
Cameron says that 3D use could prove to be “the next big thing” especially in video games. “First-person shooters become genuine first-person experiences. The player is directly in the action and experiences the ultimate immersive experience.” As an example, he cites his current 3D film production “Avatar,” due in cinemas at Christmas 2009 and to be adapted into a video game by Ubisoft. The game version is intended as a good example of a stereoscopic approach, offering a true 3D experience on a standard console with special glasses.
“The film ‘Avatar’ is based on an innovative 3D technology. Every viewer can therefore perceive what happens on screen differently depending on their seating position,” explains Eugen Knippel, marketing manager at Ubisoft Austria, speaking to pressetext.de. The same is intended for the corresponding game. Although there was no official information about it at the time, the game maker is convinced of the technology’s future potential. “3D technology will become enormously important for video games,” Knippel says. Every attempt to make a game’s action as realistic as possible is well received by users: “The more realistic a presentation, the more in demand the corresponding game is among users.”
