There are several interesting entertainment concepts emerging that offer an embryonic glimpse into next-generation entertainment. Street Wars, for example, is a week long water gun tournament where the objective is to squirt your assigned victim before you get squirted by the player who has been assigned to squirt you. Entering the game costs $35. Whoever gets squirted is out of the game, and the last person left dry gets a cash prize.

Another innovative entertainment concept is being pioneered by 5W!TS (five wits), which produces elaborate, interactive, walk-through adventure games at their building in Boston. 5W!TS’ first show is TOMB, a 40-minute adventure set in a realistic rendition of an archaeological dig site in Egypt. In groups of 2-15 people, and accompanied by a guide, participants try to make their way to the pharaoh’s burial chamber. Unlike regular, boring haunted house attractions, the path and story of the adventure aren’t fixed, but depend on whether participants are able to solve challenges and avoid traps along the way. Not every team makes it to the burial chamber, and losers are faced with a faux death experience before leaving the game.

I propose that interactive, choose your own adventure type games that exist simultaneously online, possibly on TV, and real world — true convergence — is the future of entertainment. The traditional 90 minute movie format will be akin to stage “plays,” an artsy experience. Video games are already integrating movie-type narratives, and this will accelerate and also integrate more real world experiences in the future. In 2002, Electronic Arts launched a very innovative game called Majestic, which utilized IM, phone and fax, in addition to online elements, to create an experience that aimed to blur the line between fiction and reality, but the game failed, because there was no objective or ending, the gameplay wasn’t compelling, and the characters that called players were just voice recordings, so the interactivity was very limited.

Imagine a reality show that takes place on tv, online, and real world where the contestants on TV are either voted on by players online, or achieve certain objectives online thereby qualifying them for the television element. It would be true convergence, and democratization of gameshow participation. Mark Burnett, the producer of Survivor and The Apprentice, is working with AOL on a related concept for an online reality treasure hunt, as well as Lloyd Braun at Yahoo who has tried to develop an Internet-based show called The Runner, but apparently, Yahoo doesn’t seem to believe they can recoup the $5-$10 million or so production cost. Perhaps not with simply an advertising business model, but what about also generating revenue via pay to play (with a cash prize for the winners, which is legal since the game would presumably be one of skill and not of chance)?