Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Extrinsic constraints can be made to appear intrinsic when they are ex-
pressed in terms of the mimetic context. If the “escape” key in a game is
identifi ed as a self-destruct mechanism, for instance, the constraint against
pressing it in the course of fl ying one's mimetic spaceship is intrinsic to the
action. A person need not shift gears to consider the effect of the key upon
the computer or the game. Expressing constraints this way may preserve
the contextual aspect of engagement.
Designer Emily Short (2013b) describes the extrinsic and intrinsic quali-
ties of an interactive storytelling system called
Versu
in different terms. She
refers to “extrinsic” representation as “information about the extrinsic nar-
rative part of the story,” and intrinsic representation as “character fi les that
contain the intrinsic content.” In
Versu
, interactors can create stories using
these two forms of representation, in which the story is dynamic within the
larger narrative frame by getting people “to remix aspects of the story.”
Ideally, intrinsic constraints should not shrink people's perceived range
of freedom of action, but rather enhance them:
intrinsic
constraints should
limit, not what people can do, but what they are likely to think of doing
. Intrin-
sic constraints, when successful, reduce the need for explicit limitations on
people's behavior. Context is the most effective medium for establishing
implicit constraints. The ability to recognize and comply with intrinsic,
context-based constraints is a common human skill, exercised automati-
cally in most situations, and not requiring concentrated effort or explicit
attention. It is the same skill that a person uses to determine what to say
and how to act when he interacts with a group of unfamiliar people—at a
party, for instance. The limitations on behavior are not likely to be explicitly
known or consciously mulled over; they arise naturally from one's growing
knowledge of the context.
The situational aspects of the current context and the way in which
they have evolved over the course of the action establish dramatic prob-
ability that infl uences a person's actions and expectations. In summary,
then, constraints that are implicit and intrinsic to the mimetic context are
least destructive of engagement and fl ow, although explicit and extrinsic
constraints can be successfully employed if they frame rather than intrude
upon the action.
We can look for guidance in the development of constraints to other
dramatic forms: theatrical performance and improvisation. In the theatre,
the actor is constrained in the performance of his character primarily by the
script and secondarily by the director, the accoutrements of the theatre (in-
cluding scenic elements, properties, and costumes), and the performances
