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alias_sqbrSince I'm doing a panel on it for Swancon. Am still adding to this as I think of things!
EDIT Further posts:
Notes for Interactive Storytelling panel
So you want to create an interactive story
I am talking about non collaborative interactive stories: a story with a narrative where you don't interact directly with the creator or any other readers/players but do have some control over the course of the story. This excludes novels/movies/comics etc as well as tabletop roleplaying and it's equivalents and computer games like Tetris with no plot/characters. It includes:
Does that seem reasonable?
Now for some links:
A survey on whether players of "Fallen London" see themselves as readers or gamers (Most said "both")
To Be Or Not To Be: That Is The Adventure A bunch of webcomic artists funding a very successful Kickstarter for an interactive Hamlet
Gaming Made Me: Fallout 2 A woman explores her sexuality and relationship with the world
Identity should always be part of the gameplay The significance of being able to choose to be a woman, non-white/POC etc in Dragon Age 2, and how it affects your character's experience.
Wikipedia page on Interactive Storytelling
EDIT: New since I wrote this post
Fallen London’s creator on why free-to-play could be the future of storytelling
The Joy of Text Kindles and tablets affecting what people play
And now, some thoughts!
Even with linear interactive stories I think the (largely illusory) sense of being in charge helps immerse you in the story.
For example, the game that made me really fall in love with RPGs was Final Fantasy 9. The actual plot was pretty railroaded but just being able to choose between continuing the plot or wandering around doing sidequests and fighting random monsters, and the tiny moments of personal choice, made me connect much more deeply with the characters than I would have with an equivalent CGI movie.
Even when there's no control over the plot at all, such as with "either you make the right decision or you die/have to turn back" games like Bigger Than You Think, just being in charge of moving the characters around and the sense of personal achievement when you solve a puzzle or defeat a bad guy (or the sense of personal failure when you don't!) connects you with the character on a really basic level.
Other examples: Portal, Bastion. The city in Bastion is littered with the charcoal-ed bodies of the dead. If you destroy one all that happens is that the narrator makes a wry remark but I still carefully avoided them. Having to destroy so much of the rest of the city filled me with this intense melancholy, it really gets you into the mindset of being a soldier who feels like he's only good at destroying things.
And then there are games where you really do affect the plot and character.
First, character: Something I love about Bioware games is the way I can create the kind of character I want. I spend a lot of time in more linear games (or other fiction) frustrated by having to imagine myself as a typical straight white guy whose reactions are totally not what I would say or find interesting. The actual plot of Bioware games tends to be pretty railroaded, but there are enough subtle differences resulting from player decisions to make it feel like my character's story.
Then plot: There is an increasing tendency for games to allow the player choices with real consequences. Bioware games are sometimes good at this, apparently The Witcher is brilliant. Even a single significant choice (as with Myst, and even then there's only one right choice) can add something significant to a game. It does make it very hard to write spin offs and sequels!
Games like Skyrim allow for way more control, but less of a defined story. I find this off putting but I know some people really enjoy it.
Being able to offer, say, a female protagonist or same sex romances as an option without committing to them as the only way to play the game allows game makers to be more inclusive without risking alienating people with conventional/narrow minded tastes. Though those people complain anyway, because some people get freaked out knowing a certain plotline is possible even if they'll never take it (see: also people who hate when love interests can hook up with other characters if you don't romance them) And a lot of people will happily try out plotlines they'd dislike if it was the only option (such as same sex romances, or unhappy endings)
Interactive fiction allows you to view the same story from different angles and points of view. For example, the different origins in Dragon Age Origins, or the huge variety of ways a single moment can play out in Aisle.
Writing Interactive stories is very interesting, and not the same as writing regular fiction. I'm currently writing a visual novel, and I have to think about the different ways a player might come across a scene and keep them immersed and enjoying their particular variant of the narrative without having to create too many branches and alternate versions of scenes. It's got a lot of elements of computer programming. As the coder I have to balance the game mechanics with story and sometimes one or the other suffers. This is especially true since we're making it a game which is fun to play rather than a "pure" visual novel, but I think it comes up with all interactive storytelling. Then again even static fiction has to balance reader enjoyment against realism etc.
Ok! That's all that comes to mind for now. Should probably investigate the history and variety of forms more. Anyone got any thoughts?
EDIT Further posts:
Notes for Interactive Storytelling panel
So you want to create an interactive story
I am talking about non collaborative interactive stories: a story with a narrative where you don't interact directly with the creator or any other readers/players but do have some control over the course of the story. This excludes novels/movies/comics etc as well as tabletop roleplaying and it's equivalents and computer games like Tetris with no plot/characters. It includes:
- All computer games with a plot or plots where you control a character or characters walking around a world
- Visual Novels with some control over what happens
- choose your own adventure books
- "Interactive Fiction" eg text adventures
Does that seem reasonable?
Now for some links:
A survey on whether players of "Fallen London" see themselves as readers or gamers (Most said "both")
To Be Or Not To Be: That Is The Adventure A bunch of webcomic artists funding a very successful Kickstarter for an interactive Hamlet
Gaming Made Me: Fallout 2 A woman explores her sexuality and relationship with the world
Identity should always be part of the gameplay The significance of being able to choose to be a woman, non-white/POC etc in Dragon Age 2, and how it affects your character's experience.
Wikipedia page on Interactive Storytelling
EDIT: New since I wrote this post
Fallen London’s creator on why free-to-play could be the future of storytelling
The Joy of Text Kindles and tablets affecting what people play
And now, some thoughts!
Even with linear interactive stories I think the (largely illusory) sense of being in charge helps immerse you in the story.
For example, the game that made me really fall in love with RPGs was Final Fantasy 9. The actual plot was pretty railroaded but just being able to choose between continuing the plot or wandering around doing sidequests and fighting random monsters, and the tiny moments of personal choice, made me connect much more deeply with the characters than I would have with an equivalent CGI movie.
Even when there's no control over the plot at all, such as with "either you make the right decision or you die/have to turn back" games like Bigger Than You Think, just being in charge of moving the characters around and the sense of personal achievement when you solve a puzzle or defeat a bad guy (or the sense of personal failure when you don't!) connects you with the character on a really basic level.
Other examples: Portal, Bastion. The city in Bastion is littered with the charcoal-ed bodies of the dead. If you destroy one all that happens is that the narrator makes a wry remark but I still carefully avoided them. Having to destroy so much of the rest of the city filled me with this intense melancholy, it really gets you into the mindset of being a soldier who feels like he's only good at destroying things.
And then there are games where you really do affect the plot and character.
First, character: Something I love about Bioware games is the way I can create the kind of character I want. I spend a lot of time in more linear games (or other fiction) frustrated by having to imagine myself as a typical straight white guy whose reactions are totally not what I would say or find interesting. The actual plot of Bioware games tends to be pretty railroaded, but there are enough subtle differences resulting from player decisions to make it feel like my character's story.
Then plot: There is an increasing tendency for games to allow the player choices with real consequences. Bioware games are sometimes good at this, apparently The Witcher is brilliant. Even a single significant choice (as with Myst, and even then there's only one right choice) can add something significant to a game. It does make it very hard to write spin offs and sequels!
Games like Skyrim allow for way more control, but less of a defined story. I find this off putting but I know some people really enjoy it.
Being able to offer, say, a female protagonist or same sex romances as an option without committing to them as the only way to play the game allows game makers to be more inclusive without risking alienating people with conventional/narrow minded tastes. Though those people complain anyway, because some people get freaked out knowing a certain plotline is possible even if they'll never take it (see: also people who hate when love interests can hook up with other characters if you don't romance them) And a lot of people will happily try out plotlines they'd dislike if it was the only option (such as same sex romances, or unhappy endings)
Interactive fiction allows you to view the same story from different angles and points of view. For example, the different origins in Dragon Age Origins, or the huge variety of ways a single moment can play out in Aisle.
Writing Interactive stories is very interesting, and not the same as writing regular fiction. I'm currently writing a visual novel, and I have to think about the different ways a player might come across a scene and keep them immersed and enjoying their particular variant of the narrative without having to create too many branches and alternate versions of scenes. It's got a lot of elements of computer programming. As the coder I have to balance the game mechanics with story and sometimes one or the other suffers. This is especially true since we're making it a game which is fun to play rather than a "pure" visual novel, but I think it comes up with all interactive storytelling. Then again even static fiction has to balance reader enjoyment against realism etc.
Ok! That's all that comes to mind for now. Should probably investigate the history and variety of forms more. Anyone got any thoughts?
no subject
Date: 2012-12-30 03:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-01 10:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-30 06:01 am (UTC)"This excludes novels/movies/comics etc as well as tabletop roleplaying and it's equivalents and computer games like Tetris with no plot/characters."
What do you mean by tabletop roleplaying?
Are you talking about Dungeons and Dragons (and similar RPGs), which I'd have thought are most definitely interactive stories, or are you referring to something else?
prk.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-30 06:11 am (UTC)I mean we COULD talk about roleplaying, but I can see it taking over the conversation, and since that kind of storytelling doesn't interest me I would find myself feeling very alienated and irrelevant on my own panel.
Maybe I need a different title/subject: Non-collaborative interactive storytelling?
no subject
Date: 2012-12-30 12:33 pm (UTC)I think your title is fine, as is your explanation of why D&D type games are out of the scope for your panel.
I'd stick with the simpler title, and then just mention in the blurb that it's about non-collaborative interactive stories, which rules out types of role playing games.
Out of curiosity, where would MMORPGs sit? One one side, there are multiple quest lines which players can choose to follow or not as they wish, on the other there can be lots of collaboration between players in many quests.
Sounds like a fascinating topic, I hope to make it to your panel!
prk.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-01 11:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-30 11:17 am (UTC)Sounds like an interesting panel too.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-01 11:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-30 04:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-01 11:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-31 03:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-01 11:04 am (UTC)