4. There is a lot of talk about interactive entertainment becoming the dominant form of entertainment in the 21st century. Although it's a broad question, dream a little and tell us how far your vision stretches for what interactive entertainment can eventually represent and become?

Tim: I actually disagree with that prediction. I think interactive entertainment will definitely mature and maybe even become a "legitimate" form of art and personal expression, but I think the most popular forms of entertainment will always be the passive ones. I'm not saying that passive entertainment like movies or TV is cooler or better. I'm just saying that for the most part, people are lazy and want to just lie there and be entertained. And in the future, I only see the general public getting fatter and lazier. Especially once we have all those robots to vacuum and mix drinks for us.

5. Now that you've told us where we might be one day, where do you realistically see games in two, five, and ten years down the road? When do you think your vision might become a reality?

Tim: I'd like to tell you what things are going to be like in two, five, or ten years from now, but I have to admit, I don't have a clue. When I start working on a game, I don't usually have the ending worked out. So, if I can't tell you how my own game is going to look in a couple of years, what can I tell you about the industry at large? Here's what I hope will happen. I hope we begin to explore genres outside of mediaeval fantasy and science fiction. I hope we improve our standards for writing in games. And I hope that if we try new stuff, people will actually buy it.

6. What do you think distinguishes you from other visionaries in the industry? Conversely, what do you share in common with them?

Tim: The main difference between the visionaries and me in the industry would probably be that they are visionaries and I am not.

7. In 25 years, what do you think society will remember about gaming in the late 20th century, and more importantly, what do you think society should remember?

Tim: Tetris.

8. If you or your company had to make one new year's resolution this year, what would it be and why?

Tim: Make shorter cutscenes, get Christmas cards out on time.

9. Where will you be for the millennium, and what do you hope to be doing at midnight?

Tim: I'm planning to be in a 747, flying over a nuclear power plant. At midnight, I hope to be using my laptop to take all my money and buy stock with it over the Internet. While changing the battery in my pacemaker. All in a desperate attempt to meet Ken Olin. Does anyone get that joke?

Next: Bruce Shelley