Selling the Future

As I have stated in earlier posts, my initial thought going into Futurisms and its evolved relevance to modern architecture has been in accordance with the importance of virtual design through videogame technologies and how it may be the next step toward our imagined future.  The articles assigned for this week suggest that my speculations could be correct.  The first, Finding the Future by Joseph J. Corn, covers the affects of Pop Culture ideals and visualizations of futuristic design on the people’s notion of future.  The second, The Future and Home by Professor Dr. David Fortin, continues this focus toward the influence of today’s image of the future derived from cinematography.  As revealed through these readings, the evolution of futuristic ideologies has followed closely with pop culture trends, most recent of which elopes videogame culture. 

As Finding the Future sways to prove, modern culture had been the one influence on the picturesque future imagery.  “First, it was fiction that gained power by masquerading as fact.  The excitement it caused is comparable to the popular reaction in 1938 to Orson Wells ‘War of the Worlds’ broadcast.  Second, its content involved heroic men in a daring exploit…  Finally, it was presented as mass entertainment, one that was first and last a commercial proposition.”  Corn goes on to explain the full evolutionary process of futuristic intent from literary examples such as Five Weeks in a Balloon, by Jules Verne, and the images portrayed in hobby magazines and comic books as in Popular Science/ Mechanics and early Marvel comics, to television and radio programs like Buck Rogers and Star Trek.  He also explains the process of modern media’s successful attempt to sell the visual idea of future to young children and adults through toys, novelties, and appliance visualizations.  “With toys, the future is identified with make-believe, a put-on style, a Buck Rogers Halloween Costume.  In our culture, as in most, children are the vessels of our most devoutly held expectations and hopes.”  

The same marketing strategies are employed in today’s economy through videogame sales.  As cinema was throughout the 20^th century, virtual cinematics have taken on the new realm of futuristic inspiration.  The best example to come to mind would be the Halo series developed by Microsoft.  This first person shooter-style game has become almost as large of a franchise as Star Wars in only 10 years.  While the Star Wars films coexisted with the market in toys, games, and apparel, the Halo game alone manifested its own market in these same families.  With Halo merchandise on a sales peak due to the new release of Halo 4, rumors are in the air about possible film franchises in the works.  These are all prime examples that validate my opinion that the future of futuristic inspiration will derive from virtual design.  (Other points in relation to free-form design in response to lack of real world restrictions)