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Chris Roberts
Digital Anvil

If you've played games over the past decade, chances are you played one from Chris Roberts, the 30-year-old expatriate from Manchester, England, responsible for games like Strike Commander and the Wing Commander series. Roberts, who has long thought of games as a cinematic experience, even moved onto the big screen in 1999 by directing the commercial flop Wing Commander, based on his game series. Having left Origin to found Digitial Anvil, where he is developing his next game, Freelancer, Chris Roberts' is looking to once again take gamers on a magnificent journey filled with rich characters and an intriguing plot.

1. If there were one moment from gaming you'd put in a time capsule to represent the 20th century of interactive entertainment, what moment would it be and why?

An exclusive screenshot of Digital Anvil's Starlancer

Chris: I think it would be the first moment I totally lost myself in another world and place. It wasn't a game. I wasn't trying to beat my buddy's high score. I was just there. For me, this first happened when I played Elite on a BBC Micro in 1984. Sure, it was wire-frame 3D, and there was basically no story, but I was in that universe, and it felt good.

A screenshot of Roberts' eagerly-anticipated Freelancer

2. Do you think the gaming industry is underestimating one aspect of interactive entertainment that will take us all by surprise in the early 21st century?

Chris: VR and sensory feedback. It was hot about three years ago, but it's kind of been forgotten with all the hoopla over 3D acceleration and broadband. When they've worked out the obvious problems, I think that VR equipment will be taking the level of immersion in games to a level only seen in sci-fi films.

Next: Chris Roberts (cont.)