Week 5 – NO TUTE week
Catch up
Week 4 – Ergodic Films & Games
Ergodic Literature
Ergodic literature is a term coined by Espen J. Aarseth in his book Cybertext–Perspectives on Ergodic Literature, and is derived from the Greek words ergon, meaning “work”, and hodos, meaning “path”. The most commonly cited definition of ergodic is from pages 1-2 of Aarseth’s book:
In ergodic literature, nontrivial effort is required to allow the reader to traverse the text. If ergodic literature is to make sense as a concept, there must also be nonergodic literature, where the effort to traverse the text is trivial, with no extranoematic responsibilities placed on the reader except (for example) eye movement and the periodic or arbitrary turning of pages.
How immersive is this experience?
So, if ELIZA (see week 3 notes) is ergodic – are films “ergodic” at all? For that matter, are games 100% “ergodic” if punctuated with HUGE film sequences and tracts of NON-interactivity?
Articles
The Myth of the Ergodic Videogame
Some thoughts on player-character relationships in videogames
by James Newman (2002) of gamestudies.org
http://gamestudies.org/0102/newman/
He argues that not even games are ergodic.
James’ article talks about:
- on-line gameplay (using the joystick, controlling movement)
- character is a series of techniques and abilities
- on-line there is no “Lara Croft” she is merely a bunch of techniques
- off-line gameplay (watching the screen)
- character is written for ads, tv spots, cartoons etc.
- off-line – Lara Croft is a stong female character
- primary player: The person with the joystick
- secondary player/s: Navigator / Advisor / Lookout
He suggests that games might actually be marketed to the secondary players due to the initial clunkiness of learning the controls etc. and ends the article by suggesting that we consider the possibility that computers are teaching us how to think in an alien way . . . like a machine.
Interesting, huh?
And more recently . . .
A Circular Wall? Reformulating the Fourth Wall for Video Games
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4086/a_circular_wall_reformulating_the_.php
A humorous / light-hearted look at the fourth wall in video games. Is the fourth wall behind us when we play a game?
The No Twinkie Database
Even great games can include design errors. Here’s a list of things not to do.
http://www.designersnotebook.com/Design_Resources/No_Twinkie_Database/no_twinkie_database.htm
A list of bad game design hitches.
* Including; Amnesia at the game’s beginning
* Adolescent armageddon
5min Speed Writing Session
This week our speed writing session was to the tune “Storch” by Trio Slicnation
http://www.myspace.com/slicnaton
These speed-writing sessions will work sometimes and be utter catastrophes at other times. if it was a catastrophe, I’d like you to outline why in your BLOG for this week’s exercise. If it wasn’t, do the following:
- Save each piece of speed writing as “name-draft01.doc”
- Post your writing to your blog.
- if you redraft your story, post that to your writing blog.
You might elaborate as to why it wasn’t a catasrophe at the end of your BLOG if you wish.
15 minute talk session allocation.
For Next Time
NB: Next week is a study break.
During the break, please read all the interesting links I have put in the weekly posts thus far, carefully noting any thoughts that might be good for your BLOG. We’ll talk about where we are at reading-wise next time we return.
If you haven’t already, download and play Facade
http://www.interactivestory.net/
… if only to get an idea of where we have come since ELIZA nd where we might be heading post shoot-em-up.
Remember that commenting at the end of these posts is worth 20% of your mark for this unit. Comments might be reactions to the articles contained within, links to other worthwhile readings / posts. Your own thoughts (with references) should be written in your BLOG. I shall be reading your BLOGS over the break, so … be good. 
“Shivering Geoff”
Is a non-interactive idea that I did with a couple of mates, but something like this could easily be turned into a “vote for the subject of the next episode” type interactive drama.
Click here to watch
http://geoffrey.com.au/?page_id=105
Week 3 – Interactive Storytelling
What is Interactive Storytelling?
“Chris Crawford, a game design pioneer turned interactive storytelling researcher, uses the term “Interactive Storytelling” to refer to a type of entertainment experience that is much more than a video game with narrative thrown on top. True interactivity, according to Crawford, means a story that is literally created out of the decisions made by a player, moment to moment, scene to scene.”
From a review of the book Chris Crawford on Interactive Storytelling
- Another definition and discussion on Gamasutra
Interactive Fiction (IF)
“software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment” (Wikipedia)
Popular in the 80s but no longer viable. Uses text.
Interactive Storytelling
Dramatically rich environments.
Multi-player “stories”
usually a survival story – equivalent to film thriller structure (running from an assailant/s with the sole aim to survive*) consists of killing monsters, fighting battles, finding weapons and ammo, or amassing huge armies and advancing through the ages of technological progress in order to nuke your opponent. Always ends in death and / or with some kind of resurrection (eg. 3 lives).
Single player “story”
Problem-solving, element of feeling lost like in the highly successful game Myst
User has control over a few or many (like Myst) story elements.
NPCs : Non-playing characters
Defined by good (or bad) Artificial Intelligence.
Archetypes
Stereotypes
Real People
“Character” is where we’re at. Communicating with computers through chat is where we are fixed at this time. The keyboard is still our limit even after years of voice-activated automatons (eg. Telstra help).
ELIZA
ELIZA was a computer program and an early example (by modern standards) of primitive natural language processing. ELIZA operated by processing users’ responses to scripts, the most famous of which was DOCTOR, a simulation of a Rogerian psychotherapist. In this mode, ELIZA mostly rephrased the user’s statements as questions and posed those to the ‘patient.’ ELIZA was written by Joseph Weizenbaum between 1964 to 1966.
(Wikipedia)
The beginnings of Artificial Intelligence
Children and robots
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12879-giggling-robot-becomes-one-of-the-kids-.html
Giggling robot becomes one of the kids
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327151.400-emotional-robots-will-we-love-them-or-hate-them.html?full=true
Emotional robots
Facade
A Truly Interactive Game?
Stern and Mateas (the creators of Facade) are really funny and onto this interactive thing.
Long but interesting article:
Agitating for Dramatic Change
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2789/agitating_for_dramatic_change.php?page=3
*Ref: Ken Dancyger “Alternative Scriptwriting”
For next week:
Readings (choose 3)
from this page on Gamedev.net
http://www.gamedev.net/reference/list.asp?categoryid=123
Discuss any or all of these articles
in your BLOG and we’ll also chat in class.
Download and play Facade
You get it from http://www.interactivestory.net/
Addendum: Group Buys
Where many many people can get together to buy a product or bunch of products at a fraction of the normal price. Not really relevant to storytelling per se – unless any of you guys want to write a fictional story about a “Robot Group Buy”.
www.esoundz.com
http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=3823
Week 2 – Story & Character
“Story = Character” What does this mean?
What is Story?
1. Beginning Middle End
2. Set-up, Conflict, Resolution
3. Act 1, Act 2, Act 3
Screenplay Structuralists
Robert McKee
Chris Vogler via Joseph Campbell (via C.G.Jung)
Syd Field
Screenplay Structure
ACT I
Imbalance
Introduction of characters
Inciting Incident to tip imbalance
Plot Point 1 – Something happens to thrust the character/s into a new world
ACT II
The new world
Failing Tests
Obstacles
Midpoint / Belly of the Beast
Passing Tests
From the midpoint (pp50-60) to the climax (p70-80) is where most stories fall down. Usually it’s because the writer hasn’t been writing from the point of view of the characters.
Plot Point 2 – Climax
ACT III
Return to old world anew.
What is Character?
More than just a name
A series of actions
A series of “time outs” and reflection
Character flaw
Charqacter need
Character want
But characters are driven by their inner-need.
Passive Vs. Active characters (very difficult to write active characters)
Growth must happen (active character) OR we won’t go on the journey.
The character is the story’s messenger.
Off-topic Links
- Military robot that can feed on dead bodies
(just for fun – although the ad at the end is the most scary thing I think I’ve ever seen)
- Military robots and the future
(TED Talks – quite serious)Remember that a robot is basically an autonomous being and although the first story is from a US shock-jock, imagine what kind of world we’d be living in if one of these scavenger things got lost in battle.
TED Talks are excellent talks regularly given in the US and you can put them on your ipod or watch them online.
For Next Week
Comments here:
1. Watch a film and try to identify the above story plot points.
2. Identify 2 lines in any screenplay / film that suggest internal character growth or enlightenment. Or a character’s line that suggests growth as self-reflection.
A bunch of actual screenplays can be found here.
In your BLOG
1. How are characters in films different to characters in games?
2. How are characters defined in Web 2.0 (our own avatars eg. here I’m “Objectman”)
Week 3 Discussion:
“character” in mass media today.
- screenplays
- films (often different)
- news reports
- blogs like this one
- games