This document summarizes an upcoming session that will look at two interactive narratives by game developers Jason Rohrer and Chris Crawford. The session will play and discuss Rohrer's games Passage and Gravitation, and potentially Crawford's Balance of Power 2K if there is time. It will then discuss how these games construct narratives through interactivity and player choices. Key points about Passage include that it presents an entire life in 5 minutes and has no right or wrong choices. Gravitation explores mania, melancholia and the creative process through simple mechanics and pixel art.

1. Jason Rohrer and Chris Crawford Examples of Interactive Narrative

2. Interactive Narrative by Example Today’s session will look at two interactive narratives by two artists/designers and we will investigate how they structure an interactive narrative. We will look at 3 examples, 2 examples from the game developer Jason Rohrer (Passage and Gravitation) and one by acclaimed developer Chris Crawford built in hisStorytron engine (Balance of Power 2K) (if we have time)

3. Interactive Narrative by Example We will play through these games in our play session, discuss and review our feelings. We will then watch sections of Durch die Nachtmit... (Into the Night) We will then discuss our feelings on the game after the “authors” inputs.

4. Passage “Your interpretation of the game is more important than my intentions.” Rohrer J. http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/passage/statement.html

5. Gravitation “Know that there are no "accidents" in this game design.” Rohrer J. http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/gravitation/statement.html

6. We will focus on Rohrer’s work Passage and Gravitation with Crawford’s Storytron Engine and Balance of Power 2K as further informative readings. Let’s Play...

7. Links... Rohrer J. (2007) Passage Rohrer J. (2008) Gravitation Crawford C. (2008) Balance of Power 2k

8. What do we think... (How) do Passage and Gravitation construct a narrative? Is this narrative inherently interactive? Is this narrative a game or a story? What affect do Passage and Gravitation have?

9. Passage “At the beginning of the game, you can see your entire life out in front of you, albeit in rather hazy form, but you can't see anything that's behind you, because you have no past to speak of.” Rohrer J. http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/passage/statement.html

10. Passage “[...] There’s no right way to play this game. Part of the goal, in fact, is to get you to reflect on the choices that you make while playing. The rewards in Passage come in the form of points added to your score, and you have two options for scoring points: treasure chests, which give 100 points for each hit, and exploration, which gives double-points if you walk with your spouse. There's a pretty tight balance between these two options---there's no optimal choice between the two.” Rohrer J. http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/passage/statement.html

11. Memento Mori (remember you must die) “Passageis meant to be a memento mori game. It presents an entire life, from young adulthood through old age and death, in the span of five minutes. Of course, it's a game, not a painting or a film, so the choices that you make as the player are crucial.” Rohrer J. http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/passage/statement.html “Latin phrase meaning remember you must die. A memento mori painting or sculpture is one designed to remind the viewer of their mortality and of the brevity and fragility of human life in the face of God and nature.” http://www.tate.org.uk/collections/glossary/definition.jsp?entryId=162

12. “a video game about mania, melancholia, and the creative process” Rohrer J. http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/jason-rohrer “To be heartbroken by a game this slight, this simple, in its 100 square pixel area, is quite something” Armitage T. Favourite Games of 2008, http://infovore.org/archives/2008/12/24/favourite-games-of-2008/

13. “The mechanics themselves are relatively simple, but the emergent behaviorharbors a lot of texture.” “Everything you notice about the game, and every subtle interaction that you experience, is intentionally packed with meaning. Gravitation explores how a particular corner of my life feels, as only a game can. ” Rohrer J. http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/gravitation/statement.html

14. In reference to the games visual style Rohrer states “I now see ultra-low-res pixel art as a kind of digital cartooning. It stands right on the line between the symbolic and the representational, leaving plenty room for viewer interpretation. Why draw sideburns when the viewers can imagine sideburns on their own? You just need to give them something to pin their imagination on, something to guide them a bit---cartoons are perfect for that.” Rohrer J. http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/gravitation/statement.html

15. Into The Night Jason Rohrer 10:38 01:30 Interactive Storytelling 17:53 14:23

16. Into The Night Chris Crawford’s Early Work 24:01 21:12 Chris Crawford’s Storytron 31:30 27:32

17. Into The Night “The Entertainment lies in the Interaction” 35:19 34:16 On Current Games 42:28 37:10