story space styles : 

structuring the story space

Interaction modes

The author can offer several different ways or modes for the for the user to interact with the material. These modes affect the feel and character of the interaction, and provide the author with different stylistic choices.

• Changing locations or times. An environment where the user explores around and discovers different parts of the story in each location or time. The user is not necessarily restricted to moving linearly through these locations or times. Once in a location, the user may perform different actions (click on an object, manipulate the imagery or sound, solve a puzzle, get a clue about where to go next, etc.) to have the story revealed to them. The classic CD-ROM game MYST is a (now traditional) example of this approach (images, new game).
  
  
• Changing perspectives. The author/designer creates several different versions of a story (varying perspective, mood, theme, characters, plot, location, etc.) , and lets the user "read" them in any order. For example, the user can experience the story of a chemical spill from the different perspectives of:
  
  
  • a child in the neighborhood
  • a representative from the responsible chemical company
  • the mayor of the town
  • a member of the hazardous materials team
    
    Different kinds of perspectives:
    
    
  • literally from different physical locations
  • through the eyes of different characters
  • the same character but with different attitudes or moods
  • from different conceptual perspectives (republican, democrat, green, etc)
  • changing from third person to first person
  • zooming in or out on the story material - see the forest or the trees
    
    Several films that explore this idea:
    
    
  • Mystery Train - Jim Jaramush
  • Timecode - Mike Figgis
  • Run Lola Run - Tom Tykwer
  • Rashomon - Akira Kurosawa
    
    
• Changing perceptual modes. One could read text, see pictures, hear sounds, etc., all "looking" at the same material.
  
  
• Altering the story itself. The user modifies the story material directly creating their own "mix". There are several approaches to this:
  
• Distorting or otherwise manipluating the material. This is like using EQ to change the sound of music, imagery, sound, text, video, etc.
• Contributing their own material. Examples of this include making new game worlds, making (and sharing) new paths through the material, adding new content through chat, blogs, etc.
• The "classic" (and often unsuccessful) concept of interactive story, where the user make selects different story directions. For example, the user chooses the ending. An example of this genre is the movie "I'm Your Man", which was originally shown in a movie theater equiped with switches in the chairs. At various plot points, the audience would make a decision about which way the story should go--apparently in this group setting, the typical response was to go for the most outrageous or sensational outcomes.
  

• Varying the level of interaction and choice. The author has control over how much interaction the user is allowed and what choices they can make. This can even vary over the period of the interaction. For example, the order sequencing can be strictly determined by the author, completely up to the participant, or somewhere in between (e.g. a limited set of choices at each navigation point). In addition, the author can design the presentation so that at times the system improvises choices without user intervention--e.g. changing perspectives if the user does nothing for a period. I call this live (and possibly random) programmed changes in the story, "passive interaction".

One of the most important choices for an interactive author is defining how the participant moves through the story. That is, how does the participant control the sequence of the presentation. In a traditional linear story, the participant has no control over the sequencing--they simply move from one scene to the next as defined by the author. In the opposite case, the participant can move directly from any part of the story to any other part of the story at any time.

When defining the sequencing approach, it can be useful to think in terms of architectural spaces. Think of the story as a building where the participant's choices about which rooms to enter are defined by the layout of the building.

The following are some simplified architectural forms that can be applied to interactive story design.

1. By allowing the viewer to interact with the presentation, the author loses some control of the story. How much control do they lose? How does the interactive author maintain the integrity of of their work and still express something meaningful when they give up control to the participant? What kind of meaning is created in an interactive work - the author's, the user's??? Is a game meaningful?
   
   
2. How can the emotional impact of a story be sustained in an interactive work when user interactions would seem to break the flow of the story arc? What are some new ways emotional impact can be created in interactive media. Are games emotional? Can web sites be emotional? How does sound play a role?
   
   
3. As a distinct medium with its own character, what is different and unique about interactive media? What is interactive media good at, what is it bad at? What kinds of artistic expressions are better presented in interactive form compared to traditional media (books, movies, music, paintings, etc.)? Some ideas:
   • pop music is good at expressions focused on emotion and simple stories
   • interactive media is good at presenting short pieces of information, but is it good at presenting novel length works?
   • what about humor, politics, news, narrative stories, soap operas, etc.? Do these work well in interative media? Why?

all materials on this web site © copyright 2005, Philip van Allen