Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
As people grapple with the notion of interaction in the world of com-
puting, they sometimes compare computer users to theatrical audiences
(see Figure 1.6). “Users,” the argument goes, are like audience members
who are able to have a greater infl uence on the unfolding action than sim-
ply the fi ne-tuning provided by conventional audience response. In fact,
I used this analogy in my dissertation in an attempt to create a model for
interactive fantasy. The user of such a system, I argued, is like an audience
member who can march up onto the stage and become a character, shoving
the action around by what he says and does in that role.
But let's reconsider for a minute. What would it be like if the audience
marched up on the stage? (See Figure 1.7.) They wouldn't know the script,
for starters, and there would be a lot of awkward fumbling for context.
Their clothes and skin would look funny under the lights. A state of panic
would seize the actors as they attempted to improvise action that could
incorporate the interlopers and still yield something that had any dramatic
integrity. Or perhaps it would degenerate into a free-for-all, as perfor-
mances of avant-garde interactive plays in the 1960s often did.
Figure 1.6.
For the audience, what's happening on the stage is all there is.
