Dynamic Syuzhets: Writing and Design Methods for Playable Stories

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference proceedings published in a bookpeer-review

Abstract

The holodeck vision of the future of Interactive Digital Storytelling (IDS) assumes a world that reacts around players as story protagonists; but, we have seen how this approach faces challenges in negotiating the delivery of narrative affect and player agency within current technological and Artificial Intelligence (AI) realities. By approaching the field through creative writing practice, this paper argues that casting players as experience—rather than story—protagonists, has proved an effective alternate means of writing and designing for Playable Stories. Through close analysis of the growing Story Exploration Game genre and comparison with interactive theatre, four new terms—the dynamic syuzhet, authored fabula, fixed syuzhet and improvised fabula—are introduced to show how writing and designing for players as experience protagonists can negotiate the needs of narrative and player agency, provide means to combine mimetic and diegetic player experiences, pair self-directed and empathic engagement, and offer opportunities to use dramatic irony—a cornerstone of narrative drive in other storytelling forms that is unexploited in interactive storytelling.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication Interactive Storytelling
Subtitle of host publicationICIDS 2017. Lecture Notes in Computer Science
EditorsNuno Nunes, Ian Oakley, Valentina Nisi
PublisherSpringer International Publishing AG
Pages24-37
Volume10690
ISBN (Electronic)978-3-319-71027-3
ISBN (Print)978-3-319-71026-6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 14 Nov 2017
EventInternational Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling - Madeira, Portugal
Duration: 14 Nov 201717 Nov 2017

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science (LNISA, volume 10690)

Conference

ConferenceInternational Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling
Abbreviated titleICIDS
Country/TerritoryPortugal
Period14/11/1717/11/17

Keywords

  • Playable Stories
  • Interactive Storytelling
  • Immersive Theatre
  • Video Games
  • Alternate Reality Games
  • Creative Writing

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