[Algiedi]

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

The innovations you're describing are actually old tech. They were tried during the past six decades with varying degrees of popularity.

This isn't to say it would be impossible to do something new with them, but only to show that they've previously come and gone.

You said it yourself, it doesn't prove anything. Motion control, 3D and all the cool things that are somehow super popular nowadays are also things that have come and gone. Technology is nothing but a gimmick until creators give them meaning (well that and lots of money for marketing, but that's not helping my point).

The one thing that made me think this could happen is very simple: lately I've either talked to or read about a significant number of authors that want to create in this kind of way - going beyond the text.

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

The true interactive quality of fiction is its collaboration with the imagination of the reader: Reading is a workout for the imagination and builds associative muscle. Adding extra graphics and music would only dilute that effect.

Probably out-of-topic, but that's exactly what one my tabletop-RPG friend says when I try to convert her to video-games RPG. Make of that what you will.
I'd also say as a "multimedia" creator that saying that only non-visual media develops imagination is nonsense (although I wouldn't say that to my friend because I like her very much).

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

In my view, the richest medium for interactive multimedia narrative is not literature at all but rather gaming.

Now we're talking. Actually I'm still debating with myself whether we're just gonna end up reinventing video games. Or something kinda in-between? Or that both media are gonna meet half-way? Now that'd be cool.

Originally Posted by bhartman36

Secondly, ask yourself this question: How many kids do you know that play video games, rather than read? Reading will only go down further on the proverbial totem pole, if the multimedia e-book idea caught on.

I dunno, video games and books have both always been the two big things in my life, so I don't understand how or why one could or should "replace" the other. Maybe it's just me being weird.
As for other people, once again correlation doesn't mean causation. Kids read less books but play more video games does not necessarily mean one is the cause of the other.
People that I know that read don't read because they don't play games (actually in my experience they often go together), but because they got parents who were big readers, used to hang out in libraries a lot, etc.
But then again one can read while playing video games. Bioware games anyone? Or would anyone here dare say that if it's not on paper it's not truly reading?

Originally Posted by bhartman36

Don't get me wrong: I probably watch TV and listen to music far more than I end up reading, but books engage your mind more than those other things do. This may vary somewhat from culture to culture, but in the U.S., at least, being "well-read" is a sign of intelligence that has no equivalent in movie or video game media.

Oh don't worry, living in a country that still doesn't think police novels or science-fiction deserve the term "literature", I know where you're coming from with this. It's not the topic of the thread, so let's just say that I find this idea very debatable :P
I'll just conclude by a quote from the great philosopher Yahtzee:
"[...] art is only as good as the culture that surrounds it. A game could give the most extraordinary emotional experience in the entirety of human culture and bring tears to the eyes of a jaded war veteran with no eyes, but it's all for naught if it's not surrounded by self-important bearded tossers who read too much into things for a living."