LCC 6317/4720 Interactive Narrative Lecture 4 January 25, 2005

The pleasures Immersion – the pleasurable experience of being transported to a represented space Immersion – the pleasurable experience of being transported to a represented space Agency – the pleasurable experience of taking meaningful action in the world Agency – the pleasurable experience of taking meaningful action in the world Transformation – the pleasurable experience of being transformed into someone else Transformation – the pleasurable experience of being transformed into someone else Affordances of the medium vs. player experience

Immersion: maintaining the liminal trance representationreality Must keep virtual space real by keeping it not there Narrative art forms maintain liminal trance by prohibiting participation

Structuring participation as a visit Control participation by limiting it via the visit metaphor Control participation by limiting it via the visit metaphor E.g. amusement park ride “In short, there is almost nothing to distract you in Myst from the densely textured visual and aural environment, but this intense immersion in visiting the place comes at the cost of diminished immersion in the unfolding story.” Participatory immersion makes us want to do more than travel through a world Participatory immersion makes us want to do more than travel through a world

Active creation of belief Borrow the reality of cognitive, social, and cultural templates Borrow the reality of cognitive, social, and cultural templates In interactive worlds, provide manipulable objects In interactive worlds, provide manipulable objects They become real through use This is a moving target – magical objects become naturalized over time This is a moving target – magical objects become naturalized over time

Structuring participation with a mask or role The expressive resources of an avatar provide affordances for action The expressive resources of an avatar provide affordances for action The avatar (mask) may explicitly code a social role The avatar (mask) may explicitly code a social role I see role as a kind of mask with an emphasis on mutual belief creation

Presentation mechanics: regulating arousal Arousal must not become excessive, or we collapse into the real Arousal must not become excessive, or we collapse into the real Presentation mechanics creates a necessary distance Presentation mechanics creates a necessary distance Examples: LARP mechanics, actions in MUDs Examples: LARP mechanics, actions in MUDs

Agency Agency is not mere interactivity Agency is not mere interactivity Murray Murray Actions are autonomous Selected from a wide range of options Wholly determine course Interpretive & intentional affordance Interpretive & intentional affordance Agency most commonly experienced in games Agency most commonly experienced in games

The pleasure of navigation Navigating in space is intrinsically pleasurable Navigating in space is intrinsically pleasurable The maze story – adventure games The maze story – adventure games The rhizome – hypertext The rhizome – hypertext The labyrinth – halfway house The labyrinth – halfway house

The maze story Zork-like adventure games Zork-like adventure games Physical navigation Physical navigation “However, there is a drawback to the maze orientation: it moves the interactor towards a single solution, towards a single way out”

Rhizome The hypertext novel The hypertext novel Navigation through text (lexia) Navigation through text (lexia) “In trying to create texts that do not ‘privilege’ any one order of reading or interpretive framework, the postmodernists are privileging confusion itself.”

Labyrinth Also adventure games (IF) and hypertext? Also adventure games (IF) and hypertext? Halfway house between the maze and the rhizome Halfway house between the maze and the rhizome

The journey story What’s the difference between this and the maze story? What’s the difference between this and the maze story? Is the maze story a special case of the journey story? Is the maze story a special case of the journey story? Possible distinction: Journey stories emphasize problem solving Possible distinction: Journey stories emphasize problem solving But most maze stories have puzzles?

Games into stories Some properties of games Some properties of games Mastery of skill Goal-based Distinct winning/losing configurations Games are the canonical representational form offering agency Games are the canonical representational form offering agency What could story-games look like? How can we resolve the tensions? What could story-games look like? How can we resolve the tensions?

Games as symbolic dramas Some “plots” of games Some “plots” of games I encounter a confusing world and figure it out I encounter a challenging skill or strategy and succeed at it I encounter a difficult antagonist and triumph over him The contest story: e.g. Pacman, Pong, Doom Does this expand “narrative” to the point of vacuity Does this expand “narrative” to the point of vacuity

The infamous Tetris example “The game is a perfect enactment of the overtasked lives of Americans in the 1990s – of the constant bombardment of tasks that demand our attention and that we must somehow fit into our overcrowded schedules and clear off our desks in order to make room for the next onslaught.”

Constructivism Increase agency by building objects Increase agency by building objects MUDs point to a richer repertoire & representation of action MUDs point to a richer repertoire & representation of action

The interactor as author - NOT Agency is not authorship Agency is not authorship The author still has a privileged role The author still has a privileged role The ultimate participatory new-media work The ultimate participatory new-media work

Transformation The pleasure of becoming someone else The pleasure of becoming someone else Transformation as masquerade – player transforms herself into someone else Transformation as masquerade – player transforms herself into someone else Transformation as variety – a multitude of variations on a theme Transformation as variety – a multitude of variations on a theme Personal transformation – the experience takes the player on a journey of personal transformation Personal transformation – the experience takes the player on a journey of personal transformation

Kaleidoscopic narratives Multiple intersecting plot lines Multiple intersecting plot lines What does this have to do with transformation? What does this have to do with transformation?

Transformation through variety The “morphing” story environment The “morphing” story environment Constructivist framework providing story pieces Constructivist framework providing story pieces The Bronte siblings Television serials Exhaust the formulaic possibilities, and thus move beyond them Exhaust the formulaic possibilities, and thus move beyond them

Personal transformation through enactment Digital environments provide a space in which to safely enact roles Digital environments provide a space in which to safely enact roles Virtual reality therapy – but is this narrative? Virtual reality therapy – but is this narrative? Not effective when not real enough or too real Hypothesis: constructivist environments offer more possibilities for moving beyond destructive patterns – but narrative? Hypothesis: constructivist environments offer more possibilities for moving beyond destructive patterns – but narrative?

Refused closure Digital story environments often lack a clear, definitive closure Digital story environments often lack a clear, definitive closure Electronic closure involves understanding structure rather than plot Electronic closure involves understanding structure rather than plot Suicide examples of electronic closure Suicide examples of electronic closure What does this have to do with transformation? What does this have to do with transformation?

Simulation narratives Procedural medium is fundamentally about process Procedural medium is fundamentally about process “Whereas novels allow us to explore character and drama allows us to explore action, simulation narrative can allow us to explore process.”