http://www2.hawaii.edu/~ztomasze/argax
©2007 by Z. Tomaszewski.
Many traditional narrative formats--literature, film, theater--allow for some very basic form of interaction. For example, a reader can control how fast she turns the pages of a novel. A viewer can control the volume of a DVD. An audience member can, through her reactions, impact the actors presenting a drama. But real interactive narrative intends to offer the user more significant impact than this. In particular, users should be able to affect the plot of the unfolding story.
One of the best examples of interactive narrative is roleplaying games (RPGs). These come in two general forms. In table-top roleplaying games--such as the classic Dungeons and Dragons--players sit around a table and describe the action of the story to each other. In live-action roleplaying games--such as White Wolf's Mind's Eye Theatre--players tend to be more active, to the point of acting-out at least parts of the action.1
In either form, one player assumes the role of the game master, who acts as a kind of referee. The game master directs the story by describing the details of the game world to the other players and then responding to what the others players choose to do as characters in that world. The flexibility of the story then depends on the creativity of the players and responding adaptability of the game master.
The game rules constrain the action somewhat by outlining possible game actions and their effects. Roleplaying systems with a lot of detailed rules tend to become more strategic in nature, like the war-gaming and strategic miniatures that preceded modern roleplaying games. Systems that are particularly light on rules become more free-form and dynamic, producing collaborative storytelling experiences more reminiscent of childhood pretending play.
Roleplaying games are live events, guided in part by a human director. On the other hand, the Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) series of books is a good example of an interactive narrative that has been completely encoded into an artifact that is then later read by the user. In this series, each book offers a branching storyline. The reader reads a few pages and is then offered a choice to make. Each choice includes a page number that the reader then turns to if he wishes to make that choice. CYOA is the most well-known "brand" of this kind of story, though similarly-structured works exist by other publishers.
A variation on branching storybooks is gamebooks. In a gamebook, the reader picks a number of skills or equipment items for their character at the start of the book. Besides making choices as in a CYOA, certain options are only available if the reader has a certain skill or item. Gamebooks also tend to involve combat sessions where the reader rolls a die to determine the outcome. Combat success is also impacted by the character's skills and current health. In this way, gamebooks are a bit more like table-top roleplaying games as initial character creation and chance have an impact on the story possibilities.
Gamebooks also tend to be published as a series. Because of this, each book in the series tends to have only one successful ending--unlike a CYOA book in which multiple successful conclusions are usually possible.
Improv theater also offers an example of interactive narrative. When improv actors are performing together for their own entertainment, each exerts an influence--but not directorial control--over the outcome of the story. Improv actors may also elicit suggestions from an external audience, thereby granting the audience a chance to influence the direction of the story.
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Argax Project : Dissertation :
A Rough Draft Node http://www2.hawaii.edu/~ztomasze/argax |
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Last Edited: 07 Apr 2011 ©2007 by Z. Tomaszewski. |