And the Oscar Goes to...ME! Product: Choose Interactive There is a lot of interest at this year's SXSW Interactive Festival about interactive media other than traditional video games. I had a chance to touch a few of them and play for myself. Looking for a way to show off your acting and movie production skills while creating some awesome interactive entertainment at the same time? Then welcome to Choose Interactive. This will not only be a tool for you to play interactive video content, but a tool set so that you can create your own. As I sit here now, they only have the introductory video up on their site. Go ahead and check it out. I played it several times, choosing different paths each time. It is likened very much to a choose your own adventure book done on video. This tool has a lot of promise. Besides the live action demo, there were hints of what you can do, and one of the things that struck me was a stop motion piece done with legos and set up as an interactive story. I am really looking forward to checking out the tools when they become available. There was also a CD based interactive book called The Spyrons Concept from Couriers of Ruin. One of their interesting boasts was the use of augmented reality. The stories would come bundled with many tactile and sensory objects to experience. They are telling their story in all five or maybe even six of the senses. For instance, a specific scent maybe called upon, and you would be asked to light a piece of incense or touch a specific piece accompanying the story. All very cool. I just hope there are no parts in the book that call upon the sensations of cleaning out the litter box or taking out the garbage. Just kidding, their books and storyline seemed very interesting. I don't think that either of these mediums will take me away from my beloved digital past time, but they did hit upon a growing want of alternate forms of interactive entertainment. I am continually checking both sites to see when new info is made available. -WUMPUSJAGGER, GameVortex Communications AKA Bryon Lloyd Related Links: Choose Interactive Couriers of Ruin/The Spyrons Concept