Updated to add: Zach Chandler just noted something of the reverse of what I describe below in that game designers are also looking to humanists. As he explains:
Cécile Alduy, Associate Professor of French, a specialist in Renaissance poetics, has acquired a following in the video game industry. In 2010 she published a series on narratives – how the complexity of the human experience is being smoothed over into easily recognizable and digestible narratives, and the inherent dangers of that tendency– that was picked up by game designers who specialize in non-linear game design. At one point the majority of the web traffic coming to Arcade was game designers.
I noticed this over at The Poetry Foundation, which reminded me of a number of different, modern methods of expressing humanities knowledge using repurposed techniques developed for other media. Such formatting may be particularly useful for expressing traditional knowledge to audiences more accustomed to the vernacular of animated cartoons and video games. For instance, Red Riding Hood as infographic story:
Which lead me back to what I’ve always thought was the most innovative animated display of knowledge, an old Areva commercial for nuclear power:
The Areva commercial was the inspiration for my own attempt at animating bronze production and transformation into ritual objects in the Sandai period of early Chinese history:
And a slightly interactive Flash version of the same.
Please do keep in mind that, as with all animated representations of bronze age metallurgy, this is meant for entertainment purposes only. Do not try to pan for tin and combine with copper at home unless under the direct supervision of a trained (preferably Talented or higher) furnace operator.
Thanks for the links. I could watch animated infographics all day!