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