Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
From: boarbook@wonder.demon.co.uk (James Wallis)
Path: gmd.de!nntp.gmd.de!Germany.EU.net!EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!demon!wonder.demon.co.uk!james
Subject: Re: Plot in interactive works (was Re: Attitudes to playing (longish))
References: <JAMIE.94Oct4115217@akeake.its.vuw.ac.nz> <FLEE.94Oct11092739@simula.cse.psu.edu> <37ekq9INN93@life.ai.mit.edu> <37f0ms$9rc@nntp.interaccess.com> <37fp57INN6ga@life.ai.mit.edu>
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Date: Fri, 14 Oct 1994 02:22:07 +0000
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In article <37fp57INN6ga@life.ai.mit.edu> dmb@ai.mit.edu writes:
> In article <37f0ms$9rc@nntp.interaccess.com>,
> S.P.Harvey <sharvey@interaccess.com> wrote:
> 
> >We all know the story of the twisted mathematicin Erno Rubik and his
> >brain-wrenching creations which have allowed untold millions to exercise
> >their minds.
> 
> I'm sure there's quaint story behind the hula hoop, too, but no one
> remembers it because it's just not very interesting.

You haven't seen "The Hudsucker Proxy", have you? It purports to
tell the story of the invention of the hula hoop. Actually it's
just a good story, but was made with the express permission of
whoever it is who owns the trademark on hula hoops, not least as a
way of mythologizing their product.

Good film, by the way. Helps if you know your Capra and Sturges,
but thoroughly entertaining even if you don't.

> >Put simply, folks, IF is an entertainment form, not something you're going
> >to win a Nobel prize in literature for.
>
> Admitting defeat before we're out of the starting gate?!
>
> It remains to be seen what artistic potential interactive fiction has.
> I've put in my two cents on the simulation issue already.  That's not to
> say that other kinds of IF can't be artistic.

I'm going to take this opportunity to plug the magazine I publish,
since it's relevant to this debate. It occurred to me about a year
ago that the reason interactive fiction and other storytelling
systems (particularly face-to-face role-playing games) weren't
moving towards Art or Literature or whatever you want to call it,
was that there wasn't anywhere serious discussion of that side of
the games could be read. People were writing it and self-
publishing it or posting it to the Net, but it was getting lost.
What was needed was a focal point.

Well, the second issue of the magazine is coming out in December.
By a strange coincidence it's called "Interactive Fiction". It'll
be 160 pages long, with articles by games designers such as Greg
Costikyan and Greg Stafford, forty pages of reviews, informed
musings on topics such as virtual reality and MUDs, and various
other articles I don't know about because I'm the publisher, not
the editor. Oh, and lots of stuff about the uses of IF and role-
play in education, re-education and training.

Basically, we're trying to promote intelligent discussion of all
aspects of IF, role-playing and storytelling systems. The end goal
is not just to create better games -- Chris Crawford's
"Interactive Entertainment Design" is far more knowledgeable about
that than we are, and I wouldn't dare tread on his toes -- but to
create more intelligent games. We're not going to convince
academics and critics that what we're doing is art just by
treating it as art, but if we create a climate in which more
intelligent, literary, artistic games can be produced, then
eventually when the games are good enough they will be noticed
and accepted as a respectable form for self-expression. And that,
of course, opens up several more cans of worms . . .

Enough of this talk. Suffice it to say that we always need more
writers for articles, reviews, overviews and even for peer-
reviewing other peoples' articles. If you've got things to say and
have been looking for somewhere to say them, mail me.

We also accept subscriptions. Hint hint.

--
James Wallis                         <>       Boar Books is currently in the
BOAR BOOKS ("Anything's game")     <>  <>     middle of big changes we can't
(boarbook@wonder.demon.co.uk)        <>       talk about. Expect update soon

