1. Agency “power to take meaningful action and see the results of our decisions and choices” Participation in narrative is fairly rare Participatory music relies on cueing and formulaic behavior – Square dancing vs. ballroom dancing Not just interactions per minute in games

2. Navigation Moving through a geographic or abstract space can be enjoyable Maze as challenge to find solution in space – Physical and/or mental challenges – Must find the exit Rhizome rejects a single path, single solution, or single meaning – System design can get in way of agency – If done right, the reader need not worry about the loss of the plot “Dear Dad – this game will never end. William.”

3. Between Maze and Rhizome Neither overdetermined nor underdetermined – Generating anxiety Violence hub as model – A dramatic event – Many perspectives How different and how same from existing games and hypertexts?

4. The Journey Story Pleasure of uniting problem solving with navigation – Fitting problem solving into world – Zork 2 vs. The Seventh Guest Games into stories – Offer opposing satisfactions? – Need for a happy ending? – Many reasons to play a game

5. Games as Symbolic Dramas Protagonists and plots – Enacting relationships to the world More abstract interpretations – Social meaning in Monopoly – Drama in Tetris The Contest Story – Opponent (Pong) – Requires little imaginative effort as agency is direct There is a difference between drama and narrative

6. Constructivism MUDs as a model – Can play existing stories or create new ones – Can be individual or social Problems with shared authorship Live-Action Role Playing – Separation of GM and players – Works because of persistent relations between players Agency vs. Authorship – Creating activity vs. creating opportunities – Procedural authorship