A number of companies are taking [the] multiplayer-game concept to a new level. You’ll be able to play alone, with a few friends, or with thousands of people, and it will eventually be possible to see the people you are playing with – if they choose to permit you to. It will be easy to locate an expert and watch him play or take lessons from him. On the highway, you and your friends will not only be able to gather around a card table, you’ll also be able to “meet” at a real place, such as Kensington Gardens, or in an imaginary setting. You’ll be able to play a conventional game in a remarkable location, or play a new kind of game in which exploring the virtual setting is part of the action.
Predictor: Gates, Bill
Prediction, in context:In his 1995 book “The Road Ahead,” Microsoft CEO Bill Gates writes:”A number of companies are taking [the] multiplayer-game concept to a new level. You’ll be able to play alone, with a few friends, or with thousands of people, and it will eventually be possible to see the people you are playing with – if they choose to permit you to. It will be easy to locate an expert and watch him play or take lessons from him. On the highway, you and your friends will not only be able to gather around a card table, you’ll also be able to ‘meet’ at a real place, such as Kensington Gardens, or in an imaginary setting. You’ll be able to play a conventional game in a remarkable location, or play a new kind of game in which exploring the virtual setting is part of the action.”
Biography:Bill Gates, the most influential technology entrepreneur of the late 20th century, was the primary author of the prediction-packed 1995 book “The Road Ahead” and is the founder and CEO of Microsoft Corporation. (Entrepreneur/Business Leader.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Getting, Sharing Information
Subtopic: Gaming
Name of publication: The Road Ahead (book)
Title, headline, chapter name: Chapter 10: Plugged In At Home
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 207
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Guarino, Jennifer Anne