life & style // no. 12

The future of storytelling

> How technology changes the way stories are told

Katie Czenczek
Staff Writer

 

he world of Ready Player One may

come sooner than anticipated in
Ernest Cline’s novel—well, some of the
technology depicted in the novel at least.

Although augmented reality (AR)
and virtual reality (VR) have been in the
works for many years now, it appears
as if 2018 will be the year that more of
these systems become available to the
general public. This may excite some
while leaving others worrying that our
world is one step closer to living ina
Black Mirror episode. As both a writer
and an avid consumer of entertainment,
I look forward to seeing how content
creators use the available technology
to change the way stories are told.

In particular, I am eager to see
how these technological advances
will make stories more interactive.

Historically, storytelling has been a
passive experience. Sure, there have been
exceptions such as interactive theatre and
art shows, choose your own adventure
novels, and—to a certain extent—
traditional video games; augmented
and virtual reality are able to bring the
previously passive viewers into the very
stories they cherish and love. could .

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> Futurism in our city

Brittney MacDonald
Life & Style Editor

 

s we examine the nature of futurism

within this issue, certain themes
should already be very apparent. Futurism
is all about exploring possibilities in
technology, society, innovation, and day-
to-day life. Basically, it is the concern
and excitement over what tomorrow
or 100 years from now may bring.

This kind of fascination with coming
events was already seen once before
in our fair city—and it definitely left
its mark in a major, and iconic way.

The 1986 World Exposition on
Transportation and Communication,
more commonly known as Expo 86, was a
World’s Fair held in Vancouver from May
2 to October 13. It was an international
event dedicated to examining the
future of communication and travel
throughout the world. It shared in a
wealth of controversies for the time,
but also remains solely responsible
for Vancouver’s unique cityscape.

When you think of Vancouver
and what sets our city apart from
many others, often two things come
to mind—the SkyTrain, and the
recognizable shape of Science World
at the Telus World of Science. Though
there are many architectural marvels
that Vancouver acquired through Expo
86, including the iconic Canada Place,
these two still stand as the ones that
best embodied the futurist theme.

The original SkyTrain line was built
as a means of transporting everyone
around the various pavilions and exhibits
set up by the different participating

W youworld you could only previously
imagine or go with , where This is exactly
why improved technology is exciting
for storytelling; it allows for content
creators to tell stories in ways that were
not previously available to them. Could
you imagine if you were able to explore
the setting of your favourite novel all
around you while reading the book?
Just think about how the printing
press changed the game for writers and
readers alike. With that simple but
effective technological advancement,
books could be published significantly

countries. From China’s
contribution of the
China Gate—now
located on Pender
Street—to the now
derelict McBarge which
sits docked in Burrard
Inlet and is a haven

for modern urban
explorers. Expo 86 held
exhibitions from over
30 countries and four
Canadian provinces
and territories, so a fast,
metropolitan transit
system of the future
was necessary. When
Expo 86 was done,

the SkyTrain stayed,
and has since been
expanded and updated
numerous times to stay
in step with Vancouver's
ever-changing needs.

Tt now serves as an
integral part of our
transit system.

Science World
began as the Expo
Preview Centre in
1985, a hub to come
and see the coming attractions of Expo
86. When the World's Fair began, it
became the Expo Centre which featured
a then very innovative OMNIMAX.

Coordinators for Expo 86 wanted the
Centre to be immediately recognizable
for years to come. They also wanted to
create an unconventional building that
looked as if it was from the future. For
this they relied on American inventor,

a

faster and became that much more
accessible to the public. I hope that the
same will happen with the proposed VR
and AR products set to launch this year.
Technology that isn’t advanced
enough to portray the artist’s vision
can stifle creativity. George Lucas had
to wait until special effects and CGI
were advanced enough in order to
create the full-fledged space scenes
he envisioned for the first episodes
in Star Wars, which is why he began
the original trilogy with Episode IV: A
New Hope. That is why technological
advancements such as Oculus Go, Magic

 

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Richard Buckminster Fuller, the same
man responsible for the Montreal
Biosphere of Expo 67. Fuller died in 1985,
so he never fully saw his design actualized
for its original purpose, let alone saw it
reimagined as an interactive museum.
Science World is a geodesic dome: A
thin-shelled building completely reliant
on the weight-bearing triangles that
encapsulate the round shape. As such,
it is made to withstand vast amounts

theotherpress.ca

 

Leaps Lightwear Glasses, Pimax 8K VR
Glasses and many other similar products
to be released this year will eventually
lead to more stories that have yet to be
explored in such an interactive way.

As developers continue to improve
their machines the way that the gaming
industry has rapidly seen improvements
in graphics and playability, the more
detailed and immersive VR and AR
games will be. Let’s just hope that these
products don’t fail before people are even
able to create games for them the way
Google Glass failed several years ago.

 

of pressure. In actuality, it is probably
one of the most resilient buildings in
our city, despite how delicate it looks.
As such I believe it is one of the most
archetypal examples of architectural
futurism that Vancouver has to offer.
Hopefully this has shone a new
light on amenities and sights that
have are so familiar they have become
invisible to us on our early morning
commutes and treks for coffee.

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Illustration by Cara Seccafien