There are two approaches to the digital humanities. According to the first approach, digital technologies are applied to the humanities. According to the second, the humanities become a resource for digital technologies. In this talk I explore the idea that narrative and narrative understanding can guide digital technology.

1. Virtual Worlds and
Narrative Control Guidance
Peter Ludlow
Department of Philosophy
Northwestern University

2. Two approaches to digital
humanities

3. Two approaches to digital
humanities
1. Application of digital tools to humanities
research.

4. Two approaches to digital
humanities
1. Application of digital tools to humanities
research.
e.g. Data mining corpora

5. Two approaches to digital
humanities
1. Application of digital tools to humanities
research.
e.g. Data mining corpi
2. Application of strategies from the humanities
to digital technologies and products.

6. Two approaches to digital
humanities
1. Application of digital tools to humanities
research.
e.g. Data mining corpi
2. Application of strategies from the humanities
to digital technologies and products.
e.g. Studies of narrative structures in video games

7. Two approaches to digital
humanities
1. Application of digital tools to humanities
research.
e.g. Data mining corpi
2. Application of strategies from the humanities
to digital technologies and products.
e.g. Studies of narrative structures in video games

8. Two approaches to digital
humanities
1. Application of digital tools to humanities
research.
e.g. Data mining corpi
2. Application of strategies from the humanities
to digital technologies and products.
e.g. Studies of narrative structures in video games
Question: How far can we extend this project?

9. The Plan

10. The Plan
1. Narrative description in virtual worlds

11. The Plan
1. Narrative description in virtual worlds
2. Narrative guidance in virtual worlds

12. The Plan
1. Narrative description in virtual worlds
2. Narrative guidance in virtual worlds
3. Narrative guidance in programming

13. 1. Narrative Description
in Virtual Worlds

14. The Second Life Herald

15. Second Life

16. Second Life Avatar Creation

17. Second Life Content Creation

22. The Second Jessie War
(From the pages of the Herald)

24. The Land Baron on the Jessie
Border

30. Trouble Brewing

39. One Song and Tank Split

43. Don’t Call Me a Pussy!

49. WWIIOLers Get Revenge

52. Tank on the Rebound

55. Or not.

57. What happened to those nukes?

58. Baller MoMo King

59. Culture Clash in Virtual Worlds

60. The Corporate Invasion

61. Toyota

62. Scion Meets a Magical Snail Race Chariot

63. Nissan

65. The Day The Elf King Retires, Palmisano
Addresses Troops

66. 2. Narrative Guidance in Virtual
Worlds

67. 2. Narrative Guidance in Virtual
Worlds
What is Narrative Guidance?

68. Ways We Influence Civic Behavior in
the “Real World”
• Physical Constraints: Build Walls, Control
Movement
• Legal Constraints: Punishment and
Imprisonment
• Social Constraints: “Shunning”, “Flaming”
• Narrative Constraints: Guiding Narratives

69. Guiding Narratives?

70. • Guiding Narratives

72. Fabius

73. In Virtual World…
• Physical Constraints: Build barriers, ban
individuals from area
• Legal Constraints: Ban individuals from game
(technically difficult).
• Social Constraints: “Shunning”, “Flaming”
• Narrative Guidance: Background Stories are
often missing

74. In Virtual World…
• Physical Constraints: Build barriers, ban
individuals from area
• Legal Constraints: Ban individuals from game
(technically difficult).
• Social Constraints: “Shunning”, “Flaming”
• Narrative Guidance: Background Stories are
often missing But not always!

75. EVE Online Chronicles

76. Day of Darkness,
Fan Video based on Chronicles

77. Intentional Narratives
in Second Life
• Marty Kelz

78. Intentional Narratives
in Second Life
• Marty Kelz

79. Intentional Narratives
in Second Life
• Marty Kelz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKCVLwFKxYU

80. 3. Narrative Guidance in
Programming

81. Who is a Programmer?

82. Who is a Programmer?

83. What would narrative guidance
in programming look like?

84. How do we control programming
now?

85. Waterfall Software Development

86. Agile Software Development

87. How traditional companies see it

88. Agile Software Development
The Scrum

91. Offices in…
• Kampala
• Johanessberg
• Beijing
• Chengdu
• Shanghai
• Hamburg
• London
• Manchester
• Bangalore
• Chennai
• Gurgaion
• Pune
• Porto Allegre
• Sao Paulo
• Quito
HQ: Chicago

92. ThoughtWorks Pune

93. ThoughtWorks Away Day in Brazil

94. ThoughtWorks Away Day in Brazil

95. ThoughtWorks Away Day in Brazil

96. ThoughtWorks Away Day in Brazil

97. ThoughtWorks Uganda

99. What is at stake?
Lawrence Lessig:
Code and other Laws of
Cyberspace.

100. Lessig’s “pathetic dot”

101. Lessig’s “pathetic dot”

102. What social architects
used to look like

103. What they look like now.

104. What they look like now.

105. What they look like now.

106. What they look like now.

107. Question
Is ThoughtWorks an aberration or can the
humanities play a role in software
development worldwide, and ultimately
reclaim its historical role in the development
of our sciences, technologies, and political
institutions?