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There is a great, but easy to describe, difference between non-game stories and games, and utilizing that difference, I want to describe how the game is an interactive narrative. The major difference is he game is incomplete as far as narrative goes, and this is perhaps a key element to its interactivity. Novels, as an example of non-game stories, as Perlin gives example, are filled with ‘complete’ characters. We know a character’s history and learn of their experience by reading (or watching) media. However, game, is interactive media, provides an ‘incomplete’ character, as I believe Perlin’s article reflects, is less relatable than the novel character. This is also reflective of how the world is ‘distanced’ as Murray discusses. However, by interjecting the player’s personality into the game, or simply, by us playing the game, will try to fill the gap. I have played a variety of games, and as much as I enjoy the stories of them, I also know all the flaws of interactive narration they can present. In my experience, the plot is about 99 percent driven by the plot, or rather the mechanics of the game. This is really the lack of evolution, and it is found all too often in games, particularly in Role Playing Games. For example, the Hero of the game gets a quest:

Hero! Let’s go save the kitty from the tree!
Of course!
>It’ll be okay.

Say you can actually choose the second option. The game would next say:

Hero! That’s not nice. You should help!
Sure
>Maybe Later.

I’ve played a lot of games where you can get ‘caught’ on the second question, until you would say ‘sure’, the Hero saves the kitty.

I usually find the narration doesn’t necessary interact with the player, with say, the plot itself, but the unique aspects that the game can offer. When I play a game I look for three key things: A map. A compass. Key items. Now, someone of Legend of Zelda lore would say, well, that’s correct, but others would say no. Let me explain. A map is in every game. It is where you can go, what you can do. Do you start at level one? Do you start at your home? It might not be a literal map. A compass. Forget that actual compass that tells you where north is, because I am referring to controls. How do you control your character? Does ‘A’ make him jump? Can you go left and right? And Key Items. These are the unique items of the game. In Tetris its blocks, in Legend of Zelda you start with the sword and shield, in Second Life you have an infinite wardrobe. It is the key items (or magic items as Jenkins noted in Interactive Storytelling) that make the story interactive. After all, you can wander around all you like, but without something reacting to you or something to react with, you’re going to get bored of sightseeing after a while.

I found most interesting in Mateas’s article, the discussion of “agency”, which is “a balance between the material and formal constraints”. The want to interact with the narrative is how much agency is left in the game, or in short, what is the motivation to play? Agency is a curious thing in SL. I frequent “Help Island Public”, the location often visited by new players after they are done with their orientations. One of the first questions I often overhear is “what do I do now?”. The unique and mind-bloggling thing about SL is the self-created narrative, the self-created agency. Although this is freeing for the many people who have often been stuck saving kitties, they often don’t know what to do with themselves in the absence of tree-bound felines.

I like the overall idea of ludology; games can and should move away from their narrative ancestors. Eskelien argues how narrative is too simple to apply to games, how they are comprised of series and sequences which doesn’t necessary work with traditional narrative structure Also, one of the good points that Aarseth makes in his articles is that the rules found in video games are not intertextual. And, as I would wager, not usually found traditional narrative structure. After all, sitting in a chair, reading my favorite book, the character is going to do the work for me, all I’m required to do is flip a page. However, Aarseth notes that rules aren’t intertextual, and he makes examples of how certain Star Wars games wouldn’t help you play one another. I feel that is true, but that video games can be intertextual in their story structure. There are sequels to stories and there are video games made by the same producer that have intertextual elements. The Kingdom Hearts series by Square-Enix is an example of both these. The last thought on ludology I have is from Moulthrop. I find his article interesting, pointing out how the negatives of the real world can reflect in cyberspace. I believe because of this, games will continue to have some narrative structure, separating themselves from the real world on some level.