Chapter 3 Interactive Storytelling

HAVING ESTABLISHED SOME BASIC concepts of stories and interactivity, the task now is to combine the two and ask “What is interactive storytelling? What lies at the conjunction of interactivity and stories?”

The plethora of terms used in discussing interactive storytelling indicates the confusion that surrounds the subject. Over the years, people have used “interactive story,” “interactive storytelling,” “interactive drama,” “interactive narrative,” “interactive fiction,” and “interactive movies” to describe this field. I use “interactive storytelling” because it seems to be the most commonly used term.

Extrapolation from Games

When people are at a loss to understand a new phenomenon, they fall back on what they ...

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