My interactive story will be on Peter Pan, and like the movie, I’d like the story to end by the player leaving Neverland and going home. That’s because like the original story, I wanted to emphasize the importance of motherhood and family in general. I wanted to do a branching storyline that funneled into one ending. That just got me thinking though, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of interactivity in branching storylines? Isn’t the purpose of branching storylines different endings? Because the players actions should have consequences. But if the outcome of the game is the same regardless of what branch the player is on, then isn’t that the same as admitting that the players choices don’t really matter? I’d like to hear everyone’s thoughts, since a lot of the IFstravaganza stories had branching storylines with one ending.
SB #5 The purpose of interactivity
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6 responses to “SB #5 The purpose of interactivity”
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I feel like those stories with only one ending focus more on the journey to get there. It’s not really about making careful choices to reach a specific outcome but more so what different choices you CAN make to come to that one outcome. In books and novels, the reader can’t change the ending since that’s how that author intended it to be. However, when you have a branching storyline, it’s like giving the reader more content for the different ways you can get to one end. For example, there could be different ways the main character can interact with other characters. This probably doesn’t make any sense but I think it doesn’t necessarily defeat the purpose of branching stories but rather gives the player more interactivity with a linear story.
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I see, that makes sense. So its kind like books and movies in that there is only one intended ending, but the branching allows for different ways to get to that same ending. And its not that its not interactive, because the interactivity is present in the different choices and branches that can be explored. That definitely puts things into perspective! Thanks!
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I feel like IFstravanganza had different limits than a book or movie does. Less time to write or develop whole ideas. However the same point stands. I feel like if all the choices you make just lead you to the same ending- was there even a choice at all? It really begins to ask, no matter what you do, will the consequences be the same regardless since you end up at the same place? People say it’s the journey that matters, but in most cases, I also would like the ending to be mixed or have some variety (even if its just a minute detail)
For example, lets say somebody is going to get gas- like yes, they’re going to have the same ending (i.e. getting gas for your car), and yes, the journey there might be different to get said gas. You might encounter the police- or rush hour, or several pedestrians. But the way you view that situation, that ending, is different depending on the journey. Maybe you had a really nice drive to the gas station- or it was absolutely obliterating to fuel up today. It’s not just going to be static.
In a game or story, similar to a book or film, is a place for people to think of a dystopian reality (even it it’s similar to ours), actions should have consequence, and sometimes consequences have actions. They all combine together to make something interactive.
Sorry for the rant- but that’s how I truly feel about having one ending to a branching story.
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Yea, that was pretty much my original concern. But then again, I guess with games that branch but have one ending, the game-play and the purpose of the game is a little different. Instead of looking at the choices and thinking, “What should I choose to get the best ending?” its more about exploring the game and the different branches. I guess its a little freeing in a sense? But some players may feel like there’s nothing drawing them into the story, because there’s not much at stake. Ultimately, I think it all depends on why you’re making the game in the first place. Since I want to keep the themes and morals present in the original Peter Pan in my story, then maybe a branching story-line with one ending would suit my game best.
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I think in this case the general idea of “it’s about the journey, not the destination” is especially important. I personally don’t often like when a game or other interactive work has split endings, because I am rarely interested enough after a single playthrough to see all the endings. I play once, see what I get, then just google what the other ones were. I’d actually prefer more games where the story branches, knowing the end is the same, because then I won’t feel as much like I’m completing a checklist of endings to obtain, I can just enjoy making choices without too much worrying about consequence.
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I didn’t think of it like that! Its interesting that you think of finding out all the endings as a task that’s a little troublesome, rather than an interesting surprise. I haven’t played many interactive games, so that’s interesting to note. I guess it depends on the tastes of the player. Thanks!
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