First Person

by Wardrip-Fruin, Noah

• ISBN13: 9780262731751
• ISBN10: 0262731754
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-04-01
• Publisher: Mit Pr

Summary

Electronic games have established a huge international market, significantly outselling non-digital games; people spend more money on The Simsthan on "Monopoly" or even on "Magic: the Gathering." Yet it is widely believed that the market for electronic literature-predicted by some to be the future of the written word-languishes. Even bestselling author Stephen King achieved disappointing results with his online publication of "Riding the Bullet" and "The Plant." Isn't it possible, though, that many hugely successful computer games-those that depend on or at least utilize storytelling conventions of narrative, character, and theme-can be seen as examples of electronic literature? And isn't it likely that the truly significant new forms of electronic literature will prove to be (like games) so deeply interactive and procedural that it would be impossible to present them as paper-like "e-books"? The editors of First Personhave gathered a remarkably diverse group of new media theorists and practitioners to consider the relationship between "story" and "game," as well as the new kinds of artistic creation (literary, performative, playful) that have become possible in the digital environment. This landmark collection is organized as a series of discussions among creators and theorists; each section includes three presentations, with each presentation followed by two responses. Topics considered range from "Cyberdrama" to "Ludology" (the study of games), to "The Pixel/The Line" to "Beyond Chat." The conversational structure inspired contributors to revise, update, and expand their presentations as they prepared them for the book, and the panel discussions have overflowed into a First Personweb site (created in conjunction with the online journal Electronic Book Review).

Table of Contents

Dedication and Acknowledgments	x
Introduction	xi
Contributors	xiii
Cyberdrama	1	(34)
Janet Murray: From Game-Story to Cyberdrama	2	(10)
Response by Bryan Loyall	2	(8)
From Espen Aarseth's Online Response	10	(2)
Ken Perlin: Can There Be a Form between a Game and a Story?	12	(7)
Response by Will Wright	12	(2)
From Victoria Vesna's Online Response	14	(5)
Michael Mateas: A Preliminary Poetics for Interactive Drama and Games	19	(16)
Response by Brenda Laurel	19	(4)
From Gonzalo Frasca's Online Response	23	(12)
Ludology	35	(36)
Markku Eskelinen: Towards Computer Game Studies	36	(9)
Response by J. Yellowlees Douglas	36	(1)
Note Regarding Richard Schechner's Response	37	(8)
Espen Aarseth: Genre Trouble: Narrativism and the Art of Simulation	45	(11)
Response by Chris Crawford	45	(2)
From Stuart Moulthrop's Online Response	47	(9)
Stuart Moulthrop: From Work to Play: Molecular Culture in the Time of Deadly Games	56	(15)
Response by Diane Gromala	56	(4)
From John Cayley's Online Response: Playing with Play	60	(11)
Critical Simulation	71	(46)
Simon Penny: Representation, Enaction, and the Ethics of Simulation	73	(12)
Response by Eugene Thacker	73	(2)
From N. Katherine Hayles's Online Response	75	(10)
Gonzalo Frasca: Videogames of the Oppressed: Critical Thinking, Education, Tolerance, and Other Trivial Issues	85	(10)
Response by Mizuko Ito	85	(3)
From Eric Zimmerman's Online Response	88	(7)
Phoebe Sengers: Schizophrenia and Narrative in Artificial Agents	95	(22)
Response by Lucy Suchman: Methods and Madness	95	(3)
From Michael Mateas's Online Response	98	(19)
Game Theories	117	(48)
Henry Jenkins: Game Design as Narrative Architecture	118	(13)
Response by Jon McKenzie	118	(2)
From Markku Eskelinen's Online Response	120	(11)
Jesper Juul: Introduction to Game Time	131	(12)
Response by Mizuko Ito	131	(2)
From Celia Pearce's Online Response	133	(10)
Celia Pearce: Towards a Game Theory of Game	143	(11)
Response by Mary Flanagan	143	(2)
From Mark Bernstein's Online Response: ``And Back Again''	145	(9)
Eric Zimmerman: Narrative, Interactivity, Play, and Games: Four Naughty Concepts in Need of Discipline	154	(11)
Response by Chris Crawford	154	(1)
From Jesper Juul's Online Response: Unruly Games	155	(10)
Hypertexts & Interactives	165	(42)
Mark Bernstein and Diane Greco: Card Shark and Thespis: Exotic Tools for Hypertext Narrative	167	(16)
Response by Andrew Stern	167	(6)
From Ken Perlin's Online Response	173	(10)
Stephanie Strickland: Moving Through Me as I Move: A Paradigm for Interaction	183	(9)
Response by Rita Raley	183	(2)
From Camille Utterback's Online Response	185	(7)
J. Yellowlees Douglas and Andrew Hargadon: The Pleasures of Immersion and Interaction: Schemas, Scripts, and the Fifth Business	192	(15)
Response by Richard Schechner	192	(5)
From Henry Jenkins's Online Response	197	(10)
The Pixel/The Line	207	(30)
John Cayley: Literal Art: Neither Lines nor Pixels but Letters	208	(10)
Response by Johanna Drucker	208	(2)
From Nick Montfort's Online Response	210	(8)
Camille Utterback: Unusual Positions --- Embodied Interaction with Symbolic Spaces	218	(9)
Response by Matt Gorbet	218	(4)
From Adrianne Wortzel's Online Response	222	(5)
Bill Seaman: Interactive Text and Recombinant Poetics --- Media-Element Field Explorations	227	(10)
Response by Diane Gromala	227	(6)
From Jill Walker's Online Response	233	(4)
Beyond Chat	237	(52)
Warren Sack: What Does a Very Large-Scale Conversation Look Like?	238	(11)
Response by Rebecca Ross	238	(1)
From Phoebe Sengers's Online Response	239	(10)
Victoria Vesna: Community of People with No Time: Collaboration Shifts	249	(13)
Response by Stephanie Strickland	249	(13)
Natalie Jeremijenko: If Things Can Talk, What Do They Say? If We Can Talk to Things, What Do We Say? Using Voice Chips and Speech Recognition Chips to Explore Structures of Participation in Sociotechnical Scripts	262	(27)
Response by Lucy Suchman: Talking Things	262	(3)
From Simon Penny's Online Response	265	(24)
New Readings	289	(30)
N. Katherine Hayles: Metaphoric Networks in Lexia to Perplexia	291	(11)
Response by Eugene Thacker	291	(2)
From Bill Seaman's Online Response	293	(9)
Jill Walker: How I Was Played by Online Caroline	302	(8)
Response by Adrianne Wortzel	302	(3)
From Warren Sack's Online Response	305	(5)
Nick Montfort: Interactive Fiction as ``Story,'' ``Game,'' ``Storygame,'' ``Novel,'' ``World,'' ``Literature,'' ``Puzzle,'' ``Problem,'' ``Riddle,'' and ``Machine''	310	(9)
Response by Brenda Laurel	310	(5)
From Janet Murray's Online Response	315	(4)
Permissions	319	(2)
Index	321