Interesting Choice: Designing an Approach to Interactive Narrative
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Transcript of Interesting Choice: Designing an Approach to Interactive Narrative
Designing an Approach to Interactive Narrative
“A game is a series of interesting choices.”
- Sid Meier
The Project
Interesting Choice is an interactive live action dramatic webseries.
The Project
At the end of each short 3-5 minute episode, viewers are presented with three multiple-choice questions about the next episode.
The Project
Viewers are directed to a poll on the Interesting Choice website, where they can collectively determine the course of the series.
The Project
Even the genre and format of the series were decided by viewers before the first full episode was produced.
Episode 0 Poll Results:
1. What should the genre be? A. Film noir (10, 38%) B. Sci-fi (8, 31%) C. Horror (8, 31%)2. What should the setting be? A. A playroom (10, 38%) B. A forest (9, 35%) C. Mars (7, 27%)3. There should also be… A. A character that doesn’t speak (9, 35%) B. Handcuffs (5, 19%) C. A fish (12, 46%)
The Project
After closing each poll and tabulating the results, we had a week’s turnaround time to:
• Brainstorm the next plot• Write, workshop, and rewrite the script• Cast actors• Assemble sets and props• Storyboard the episode• Shoot the episode• Edit the episode• Write the next set of poll questions and answers• Publish and distribute the episode
The Project
The series was produced on a weekly basis for three weeks, with the introductory video and two full episodes released.
The Project
A third full episode, the series finale, is currently in production and will debut this week.
Episode 0The Pitch Line
02/15/10
Episode 1“F” is for Fish
02/22/10
Episode 2Remember the
Fish03/01/10
Episode 3Gone Fishing
05/05/10
Episode List
Aims
Interesting Choice aims to address several common problems in other forms of interactive narrative:
Aims
Interesting Choice aims to address several common problems in other forms of interactive narrative:
• Sprawling “branching path” structures
Aims
Interesting Choice aims to address several common problems in other forms of interactive narrative:
• Sprawling “branching path” structures
• Surplus content
Aims
Interesting Choice aims to address several common problems in other forms of interactive narrative:
• Sprawling “branching path” structures
• Surplus content
• Railroading
Aims
Interesting Choice aims to address several common problems in other forms of interactive narrative:
• Sprawling “branching path” structures
• Surplus content
• Railroading
• Lack of meaningful choice
Aims
Interesting Choice aims to address several common problems in other forms of interactive narrative:
• Sprawling “branching path” structures
• Surplus content
• Railroading
• Lack of meaningful choice
• Conflation of story and game
Aims
Interesting Choice aims to address several common problems in other forms of interactive narrative:
• Sprawling “branching path” structures
• Surplus content
• Railroading
• Lack of meaningful choice
• Conflation of story and game
• Unsatisfying dramatic outcomes
Aims
Some of our solutions:
• Sprawling “branching path” structures
• Surplus content
• Railroading
• Lack of meaningful choice
• Conflation of story and game
• Unsatisfying dramatic outcomes
Aims
Some of our solutions:
• Sprawling “branching path” structures
• Surplus content
• Railroading
• Lack of meaningful choice
• Conflation of story and game
• Unsatisfying dramatic outcomes
• No preauthored content
Aims
Some of our solutions:
• Sprawling “branching path” structures
• Surplus content
• Railroading
• Lack of meaningful choice
• Conflation of story and game
• Unsatisfying dramatic outcomes
• No preauthored content
• Everyone sees the same content
Aims
Some of our solutions:
• Sprawling “branching path” structures
• Surplus content
• Railroading
• Lack of meaningful choice
• Conflation of story and game
• Unsatisfying dramatic outcomes
• No preauthored content
• Everyone sees the same content
• No predetermined destination
Aims
Some of our solutions:
• Sprawling “branching path” structures
• Surplus content
• Railroading
• Lack of meaningful choice
• Conflation of story and game
• Unsatisfying dramatic outcomes
• No preauthored content
• Everyone sees the same content
• No predetermined destination
• Every choice has a major impact
Aims
Some of our solutions:
• Sprawling “branching path” structures
• Surplus content
• Railroading
• Lack of meaningful choice
• Conflation of story and game
• Unsatisfying dramatic outcomes
• No preauthored content
• Everyone sees the same content
• No predetermined destination
• Every choice has a major impact
• No identification with a particular character or valorization of outcome
Aims
Some of our solutions:
• Sprawling “branching path” structures
• Surplus content
• Railroading
• Lack of meaningful choice
• Conflation of story and game
• Unsatisfying dramatic outcomes
• No preauthored content
• Everyone sees the same content
• No predetermined destination
• Every choice has a major impact
• No identification with a particular character or valorization of outcome
• Available choices and final product handcrafted by writers
Aims
Some tradeoffs:
• No preauthored content
• Everyone sees the same content
• No predetermined destination
• Every choice has a major impact
• No identification with a particular character or valorization of outcome
• Available choices and final product handcrafted by writers
Aims
Some tradeoffs:
• No preauthored content
• Everyone sees the same content
• No predetermined destination
• Every choice has a major impact
• No identification with a particular character or valorization of outcome
• Available choices and final product handcrafted by writers
• Tight production schedule
Aims
Some tradeoffs:
• No preauthored content
• Everyone sees the same content
• No predetermined destination
• Every choice has a major impact
• No identification with a particular character or valorization of outcome
• Available choices and final product handcrafted by writers
• Tight production schedule
• Lack of personalized experience
Aims
Some tradeoffs:
• No preauthored content
• Everyone sees the same content
• No predetermined destination
• Every choice has a major impact
• No identification with a particular character or valorization of outcome
• Available choices and final product handcrafted by writers
• Tight production schedule
• Lack of personalized experience
• Hampers plot development (theme, motif, foreshadowing, dramatic arc...)
Aims
Some tradeoffs:
• No preauthored content
• Everyone sees the same content
• No predetermined destination
• Every choice has a major impact
• No identification with a particular character or valorization of outcome
• Available choices and final product handcrafted by writers
• Tight production schedule
• Lack of personalized experience
• Hampers plot development (theme, motif, foreshadowing, dramatic arc...)
• Majority rule; individual choices may not prevail
Aims
Some tradeoffs:
• No preauthored content
• Everyone sees the same content
• No predetermined destination
• Every choice has a major impact
• No identification with a particular character or valorization of outcome
• Available choices and final product handcrafted by writers
• Tight production schedule
• Lack of personalized experience
• Hampers plot development (theme, motif, foreshadowing, dramatic arc...)
• Majority rule; individual choices may not prevail
• Unclear motivation for choices
Aims
Some tradeoffs:
• No preauthored content
• Everyone sees the same content
• No predetermined destination
• Every choice has a major impact
• No identification with a particular character or valorization of outcome
• Available choices and final product handcrafted by writers
• Tight production schedule
• Lack of personalized experience
• Hampers plot development (theme, motif, foreshadowing, dramatic arc...)
• Majority rule; individual choices may not prevail
• Unclear motivation for choices
• Limited sustainability
Conclusion
• Interactive narrative is far from “solved”
• There are distinct benefits and drawbacks to the various available techniques
• This particular approach produced a successful short-run series with interesting results
• ...But it’s exhausting!
Thank you!
http://www.interestingchoice.com