This is one of the most fascinating and scary video I have ever watched. It is interesting on so many different levels that you definitely have to watch it although it is 28 minutes long.

The first part of the video is a very eloquent state of where the gaming industry is at the moment with games like Farmville, MafiaWars and the blurring between real and virtual. Quoting James H. Gilmore’s book What consumers want: Authenticity, Jesse Schell very rightly pointed out that the need for authenticity and reality are the main reasons for the success of these new kind of games.

The second part of the video is a the ultimate marketeers dream, transforming our life into a big RPG game where  – for instance – we would have points for brushing our teeth, (courtesy of a tooth brush manufacturer) getting at work on time, paying attention to ads on TV… Foursquare is already starting to do it as people earn point by going out therefore consuming more. This is where we have to be really careful when advising our clients. As I pointed out a while ago technology and capitalism have no moral sense as they are amoral, however we lot (clients and agency people) should have a strong moral sense and decide what the next steps are. I only hope we didn’t escape the tyranny of image for the tyranny of reality.

Have a watch at the video (in three parts) it is thoughts provoking: