Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
In the world of text-based interactive storytelling, Emily Short (2013b)
takes a unique approach with
Versu
(discussed in Chapter 4). At the bottom
level,
Versu
contains genre defi nitions—a collection of information that in-
cludes the ethics and “rules of conduct” for different story types. The next
level up are “story fi les”:
Story fi les
contain premises, situations, and provocations. They lay out lo-
cations and objects that characters might encounter, and provide narra-
tive turning points that might depend on how characters currently relate
to one another. Story fi les create opportunities for characters to change
their views of one another, come into confl ict, and have to make diffi cult
choices, or perhaps to discover what is going on in the narrative scenario.
Character fi les “contain character descriptions, preferences, traits, hab-
its, [and] props unique to that particular character” as well as the charac-
ter's hopes and goals. Characters' goals may change during the course of
the action. Emily introduces the notion of “social physics” to describe the
network of relations among characters and how it may change.
I am struck by the interesting differences between Hocking's and Short's
thoughts in terms of the granularity of player (or “character”) actions and
the workings of the overarching narrative scenario. Both approaches seek
to retain the sense of agency through interaction, while bounding the dra-
matic shape of the whole. Short (2013a) mused that she would like to de-
sign a “drama manager agent” that could create new situations.
DESIGN HEURISTIC
Choices for (and by) interactors can transform possibility
into probability for dramatic action later on.
Let's begin at the beginning. Who or what is the source of these messages?
Are you sure?
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Your application has unexpectedly quit.
I DON'T KNOW THAT WORD.
