That said, there’s still a huge amount of technical work to be done in the gaming world which will mitigate the various suspension of disbelief problems. We’re seeing only bits of what we need now, and these bits tend to be divided across different games. A few examples:

* Convincing graphics. I think we’re getting there now, with the PS 3, XBox 360, and modern computer graphics systems, but there’s still a lot more that can be done here.

* Good acting. The Uncharted series, using simultaneous voice acting and motion capturehis is otherwise currently quite rare, is making great strides here, but this is otherwise currently quite rare.

* Stronger interactions with other characters with more nuanced choices. As you point out, this is hard, and may need to wait for much better voice recognition technology before it becomes significantly more convincing.

* Real moral choice that makes a difference to how the game turns out. Fallout 3 is the classic example here; Bioshock also has it to some degree.

Then there’s the idea of open world gameplay. This is not always necessary or even desirable, and, interestingly enough, seems very nearly unique to video games.

All that said, I found the two Uncharted games to be quite as enjoyable, probably moreso, than any of the Indiana Jones films, so we’re capable of reaching at least that level today.

Where Ebert perhaps went wrong is calling what he’s looking for “Art” rather than “Great Art.” It seems to me by his definitions, most popular films and books are not art, either.