It's an exciting time. New platforms and technologies (i.e., Silicon Valley) are quickly emerging to allow for much more immersive narratives and storytelling experiences (i.e., Hollywood).

As with any good relationship, that means a period of courting one another, the proverbial honeymoon phase, followed by some awkward arguments, cultural clashes, and the questioning of core values! ;)

All of that is generally followed by talk of compromise, fostering better communication, and the promise of change. 

In other words, it's all going to work itself out.  

As someone with a background working with product development companies who is now working in the entertainment space, it's been interesting to observe that blend of cultures to make a thing awesome.

Getting to know one another takes time, as does establishing a common vocabulary (i.e., See "product definition/discovery" and "user experience journey mapping" vs. "pre-production" and a "series of sequence shots" just to scratch the surface.)  

I had some great conversations recently here in LA at an Idean event entitled the Art of Storytelling in Design. It included a mix of content creators, publishers, and tech companies talking about the state of the industry, especially the promise of virtual reality. 

There are a few, primary reasons why VR isn't mainstream just yet. They include the fact that the underlying tech is close, but not quite ready for primetime; a lack of cohesive standards; the argument that anything 'around a million VR units sold' really isn't a viable market for content creators in terms of reach just yet; and, the hardware itself isn't terribly accessible, nor comfortable. 

There is however, a lot of capital being poured into the space and good examples of the technology being used properly are certainly emerging. The general consensus from the event was that it should be used wisely; and not just because you can. (Check out this Mr. Robot piece that's a nice, discoverable experience complement for fans of the show.) 

As with anything else, story and narrative need to come first. And as a content creator, ask yourself if you absolutely need to tell the tale using that particular medium. If the answer isn't a resounding hell yes!, then please rethink it. 

Maybe we have more in common than we first thought :)    

Marc