Why is this important? – Entertainment is both popular, commercially profitable and spawns key technologies. Lifestyle issues such as obesity are driving research into human nutrition and health.
Entertainment Technology : Entertainment technologies such as Computer Graphical Imaging (CGI), Virtual Reality and 3D imaging are transforming not only entertainment such as films, television, and gaming but also have a wide range of educational and commercial applications such as medical imaging; architectural and engineering design; mathematical modelling; archaeological imaging and scientific research.
Examples : Films and TV programmes such as Iron Man, Doctor Who; Games and game apps such as Grand Theft Auto and Pokemon Go; Adverts; Reconstruction of skeletal remains; Medical teaching and surgery; Supporting research (for example the black hole simulation in the film Interstellar identified useful detail for physicists).
Sports and lifestyles : The globalisation of sports as world-wide entertainment has led to a whole shaft of new scientific insights into human performance and spawned high-technology developments in areas such as automobiles, materials, and drug detection techniques. It has helped drive research into understanding human nutrition and exercise and how to maintain healthy lifestyles.
Examples : Helmet design; sports clothes design; golfing simulators; diet programmes for athletes; training regimes; sports performance videoing and analysis (individual and team).
Skills needed : Useful skills include biology, physics, maths, medicine, materials science, sports science, nutrition, computer science, graphic design, script writing, clothing design, art, sports coaching.
What will push development : Consumer popularity and the ability and usefulness of modelling in 3D.
Consequences : Continuing move to graphical interfacing and imaging in education and everyday apps, with a lesser role for books and the written word.