Wk 5, Q1. Difference between hypertext and interactive fiction

Q1. Difference between hypertext and interactive fiction

The opportunity for readers to contribute text to the narrative in interactive fiction might be seen as a somewhat superficial distinction from hypertext because most times, these contributions do not really affect the revelation of the narrative although it does provide the possibility for a differentiated user experience. When one contributes a command that cannot be processed within the limits of the system, the system restricts the progression of the reader until a recognizable input is entered. Thus, the interactive fiction would probably qualify as a more complex version of the hypertext in terms of the possible options that it provides. If one were to think of both forms as a network consisting of nodes which represent the opportunities to make a choice, nodes in the interactive fiction would appear as having more possible options as compared to the hypertext. In that sense, the author of an interactive fiction might thus have to generate more possible narratives to provide the user with this sense of control over the unfolding of the narrative. Basically, I would see both forms as similar forms of narratives revealed in a non-linear fashion which differ in terms of perception of control on the part of the reader and complexity structure. In saying so, I am not suggesting that one form is greater than the other in the two aspects because these variables can be adjusted according to the intentions of the author and hypertexts may be designed to present greater control to the reader and complexity of structure in the narrative than a piece of interactive fiction. 

Q2. Is "Carl" a cybertext?

What I interpret of Arrseth’s interpretation of a ‘non-trivial effort to traverse the text’ would be that of a risk-taking endeavour on the part of the reader. This effort would entail taking risks on the part of the reader that he or she might be rejected in the process of imposing their own interpretation on the text. In McCloud’s ‘Carl’ comic strip, the possibilities are planned out in advance by the author and in traversing this multicursal labyrinth, there is no risk involved in the part of the reader because every path that the reader chooses to take is straightforward and coherent and the reader should expect no obstruction except when they come to the end of the narrative. In fact, the metaphor of a labyrinth might not be that fitting a description for the structure of the ‘Carl’ comics because it entails unexpected twists and turns shrouded in an air of enigma while the arms of each variation of the comic seem more linear in nature. Perhaps a more fitting metaphor would be that of a map of a mass transit system.

Q3. Is 'The Tree Theatre' interactive media?

By Crawford’s strict definition, “The Tree Theatre” cannot be considered as a form of interactive media because at the point of interaction, there could be no thought process going on in the minds of the audience as they view the presentation. At the point where the audience makes a choice, one might just act according to one’s whims and fancies and not consider the plot that has unfolded thus far since both possibilities are equally plausible. Also, on the part of the performers, the thought process that they go through might simply be that of recalling the actual sequence of events. I personally feel that a thought process should not merely be a memory process but more of a reflection on the input from the audience and then giving it a good think through before coming up with an appropriate response to the input (but one can generally argue that the actors, based on the selection by the audience, might be able to gauge the preferences of the audience and modify their execution of the scenes such that it panders to their liking).

In short, “The Tree Theatre” might simply be a slightly more complex form of Crawford’s fridge, but then, one should always question if there is a need to employ such a strict definition in deciding what constitutes interactive media. Personally, I feel that “The Tree Theatre” can be considered a form of interactive media because it surpasses the level of interactivity that can be expected of conventional theatrical forms which do not involve audiences as much in their performances.