Introduction: Innovation as a Serious Entertainment

One century has passed since Joseph Schumpeter defined the concept of innovation as “the introduction of new goods, new methods of production, the opening of new markets, the conquest of new sources of supply, and the carrying out of a new organization of any industry” (Schumpeter 1912/1934). This definition can sometimes be confusing because “goods” and “methods” seem to be very different things, and a “market” is a mixture of these properties plus other factors such as money and individuals (suppliers, consumers, and stakeholders). However, after much thought, we have concluded that this definition is suitable for expressing what we need in this century of changes to hardware, software, networks, natural/social resources, the environment, information, and even human modes of thought. We need a new way of looking at this flood: a way of creating something that has a value beyond that of the most attractive existing commodities, thereby developing a new direction for the growth of the market.