It is no secret that the majority of leisure time is spent focused on one type of technology or another. Social media, for a start, demands the attention of so many, whether it is being viewed on cell phones, computers, or tablets, and at various times of the day as well.
Some spend hours trawling through posts looking for entertainment, while others check it as a social necessity to keep up with friends and family. That is not to mention the time that is spent watching TV, films, sports, and playing games.
Technology has changed the way people do all sorts of things, and the reason that so much time is spent is that it has made it better, easier, more affordable, more enjoyable for all concerned, whether it is the people providing the entertainment, those watching the end result or all of those that are involved in the meantime.
Films
Technology has not only changed the way in which you can now view films, watching them streamed straight to your television set, but also within the way that films are now made. No more are you just watching your favorite actor or actress perform their art against plasticine baddies and questionable sound effects. What you are now watching is the artwork created by many different people, most of which are totally behind the scenes and are unknown to the majority of their audience.
Special effects teams, computer animators as well as enhanced equipment from camera technology, sound capture to the way that the films are stored have all helped your enjoyment of many different genres of films in the present day. Of course, wardrobe, make-up, and high-quality models are still used but not necessarily in the same way which they once were. All these sectors added together to produce a much more real and more believable vision for the watching world to embrace and enjoy together.
Television
Television is another area that has benefited heavily from technology and follows the film industry closely when it comes to making good quality programs for their viewers to watch. However, technology has made it so very easy to watch what you want to and when by giving you options that were never before available to you.
You no longer have to be at home in front of the Television set to be able to catch up with your favorite soap opera or series. You can stream it straight to your cell phone or tablet, so you can, should you want to, watch multiple programs and channels at the same time.
There is now no need to record or save the programs that you will miss due to being out of the house due to the delights of catch-up TV or just being able to find the program you have missed on your streaming service provider.
With the added bonus of high definition and smart Television sets, viewing pleasure has never been easier, more real, or clearer.
Sports
Sports is another area that has benefited in so many ways from the improvement in technologies, from being able to enjoy any game in the fullest possible way to actually helping umpires and referees in making the right choices when awarding penalties, goals, or runs while the games are in play. Making the viewers at home feel like they are in the middle of the action by hearing the decisions and interactions on the pitches between players and those that are making the decisions.
The smoothness of the cameras and the accuracy of commentators that supply additional information and facts all backed up by their computer facts at their fingertips all add to the feeling of being well and truly there and part of the bigger picture.
It is not only in the field of sports that technology has improved the viewer’s enjoyment but also with the motorsports industry as well. Technology has not only shown how 3D printing is improving motorsports design, but it is also evident in the actual make-up of the vehicles as well and is in use more and more.
This is fantastic as there is no more waiting around for items to be transported around the world but is available within an instant to get improvements and ideas in motion as fast as possible. This means that the very fast-moving world of the motorsports industry is not only progressing but is getting more exciting and safer at the same time.
Gaming
Gaming follows the film industry closely when it comes to technology. It is a multi-billion-dollar industry that knows the demands of its audience when it comes to the quality and speed of the graphics and storylines that are now involved with many games.
Multiplayer gaming is no longer down to having a couple of people locked away in a room together but is more likely to be people half the world away from each other playing either against each other or side by side to complete a scenario or storyline.
Gaming can be streamed directly to your cell phone, so there is no need for a console or a television set or, even for that matter, a computer, though enjoyment levels would probably increase with the use of a larger screen.
Cinematic sound, professional voice actors, and actresses to keep stories moving, feeling real, and characters more than just two-dimensional creations can pull a player into the world with which they are playing. This, as well as cut scene picture quality, alongside some games with storylines that are no longer being linear but more freeform to give the player the freedom to move within the maps and interact with the on-screen environment, together makes the games so much more real and enjoyable for those playing and for anyone spectating the gameplay.
Driving
Many people enjoy a road trip, even if it is just around their local area. Technology has vastly improved road-worthy vehicles as well as track ones. When it comes to safety, performance, and comfort, it is all down to technology and those that have developed it.
With the world moving ever closer to electric vehicles in the hope of making the motor industry more eco-friendly and the introduction of driverless cars to make the roads safer places to be for all users, vehicle technology is moving at an extraordinary pace.
Certain makes of motorbikes are now available with airbags, additional safety features are a part of motorcycle jackets, trousers, and boots are all geared to keep those wishing to enjoy motorcycling without so much worrying of having a fatal accident as safe as possible.
With the use of satnav, there is no longer needed to look at maps and try to remember where you are going in order to get to your destination, but instead are able to have the route read out to you so that you can concentrate on the road one hundred percent of your time behind the wheel.
Final thoughts
Within all areas of leisure activities enjoying the benefits of technological improvement, there seems no end to the realism that can be created, or worlds made real for us to explore with minds and eyes alike. Let alone the feeling of being amongst your favorite teams while you are watching your chosen sporting heroes and legends, commiserating with them in their losses and celebrating with their successes.
Technology continues to improve the quality of life in all aspects, from health through to leisure time, and the progression in many fields is astronomical. To think how far films, TV, sports coverage, gaming, and general road safety have come within the last decade, imagine where it will lead within the next decade with the release of driverless cars coming soon and much more besides.
