3. If there's one thing wrong with the gaming industry you'd want to change in the new millennium, what would it be and why?

Ron: We desperately need more creative people. The current onslaught of games is nothing short of boring and derivative. Nothing new has really happened to gaming in five years. If I see another Diablo clone, I'll puke. Can't we be any better than that? The moment the real creative people show up to make what we call games, most of us can kiss our jobs goodbye.

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?

Ron: Well, I could give the typical, "Gee, won't it be great when we can draw one billion polygons a second and wear goofy goggles and then run around the holo deck," but I won't. The fact is that gaming in the future will be like nothing we can imagine. Not from a technology point of view, but from an experience and gameplay point of view. In the '30s people could imagine what TV was - a little box that shows little pictures like a movie - but they could never have imagined how it would change the world. I see gaming in the future being much like that.

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?

Ron: Actually, I didn't tell you what it would be like one day...

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

Ron: I'm skeptical. I'm cynical. I hate games, and if I see one more Diablo clone, I'll puke.

Next: Ron Gilbert (cont.)