Wednesday, August 30, 2006
The Narrative: Interpretation
The Narrative: Interpretation
Think of an example of the use of narrative in interactive media. With reference to your example, suggest what the “peculiar nature” of interactive media may be, and which narrative effects it may specialize in.
Interactive media shares some close similarities with the cinema. Both being animated visual narratives, they easily "present characters without expressing the contents of their minds" but "cannot avoid a rather precise representation of visual detail".
However, the 'peculiar nature' of interactive media stems from its variability. The multitude of possibilities mean that:
1. The sequence of the narrative can be jumbled up depending on choices made by the user, but ultimately lead to the same ending. Take for example mystery-solving interactive games like Cluedo or Viridian Room, the order which you pick up clues and interprete mystery never matters, and the mystery still unveils itself at the end.
2. The many possibilities (and many different narratives) that are available between the kernels of the main storyline. For example, in strategy games like Age of the Empires, I can choose how I want to build my empire and defeat my opponents, always with the same objective of conquering the map and winning the game.
That's all I can think of, really.
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