A View That Was Killed

I was surprised a few months back when I saw ViewMaster reels being sold at a bookstore. It took me back briefly to the good old days where as a kid the ViewMaster produced such captivating images that tantalised the mind’s eye. Recently while perusing through an economist magazine I came across an article that talked about how Fisher Price was planning to do away with its ViewMaster range of reels for its viewers. Once upon a time ViewMasters were the rage.

Long before we had computer games we had ViewMasters. These red goggles with their little lever transported you to another dimension all together. Hold it to the light and you could appreciate the simplistic 3D images that these devices provided.

Over the 70 years of its existence, the ViewMaster has told many a tale. From fairytales to giving you views of the Grand Canyon, to modern day reels featuring the likes of Shrek. The question that popped into my mind was as the ViewMaster fades into obscurity, what is going to be its replacement?

At the first thought, you might say that the IT age has a lot to offer. Well I thought so too, but then realised that at the price of the ViewMaster you would be hard pressed to find a replacement.I once posted an article talking about how gaming promised to be the next generation of story telling. But what I wonder now is what about traditional story telling? Where no interaction is necessary.

This is the age of Play Station Portables, but how many kids will ever use a PSP to learn about a new place or read a fairy tale? Perhaps the guys who make PSP games should think about targeting that market. But in the heart of hearts, it just wouldn’t be the same. A play station toting kid today considers the joys of the ViewMaster ancient and outdated.