deimos3428 wrote:red_dawn wrote:Theater is still wildly popular! People act on stage, with a minimum of stage effects. And people still go to these productions.
Why?
Simple. In 2006, at least, the human brain is still the most efficient computer on the planet, and it will be for many generations to come. Provided you use it as directed:
Theater is popular because human actors can provoke the mind, not just flood the senses with information. The more we let our brains "fill in the gaps", the more immersed we are in a given performance. Literally immersed -- you become the play, and the play becomes you. Your brain is doing what it was designed to do -- create a universe from limited sensory information.
However, the more we rely on high-bandwidth special effects, the more our brains become relegated to basic A/V decoding devices. This is not really their forte, but they are capable enough machines to provide a passable result. (Fortunately, no "Blue Screen of Death"!)
That's also why crappy low-resolution games like "Pac-man" were addictive, and why table-top
RPGs are superior to video games -- they are immersive.