Tired of Giving In: An Experiment in Narrative Unfolding
Tired of Giving In(TOGI) is an experiment with the theatrical device of the Greek chorus, which serves as a model for user interactions with a computer-based narrative. By interacting with the story, viewers can learn more and more about the early days of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a key event in the American Civil Rights Movement. Much of the information is supplied by chorus members who comment on the action or address the main characters in the story. The software keeps track of viewers' interactions and uses them as bases for controlling aspects of the presentation as the story unfolds. No matter how often or in what ways a viewer chooses to interact, the story remains intact. Interaction has to do with richness in detail rather than changes in story structure.
Background & Objective: Many experiments in computational narrative have relied on branching structures that tend to fragment the plot. Recently, agent technologies have been applied to experiments with the narrative element of character, but researchers continue to grapple with the challenge of resolving user interactions into coherent story presentations. The challenge increases with development of networked multiuser technologies. TOGI is an experiment with the dramatic device of the Greek chorus, which in traditional theater serves as an intervening layer between the audience and the action. In our model, users become like chorus members who interact by querying the actors to unfold details of plot and character. Interactions do not change the story, but reveal multiple perspectives on characters and events.
Technical Discussion: The story is revealed through six "folds," or depths to which viewers can interact: (0) Viewers who choose not to interact, and allow TOGI to play on its own, hear the story proceed through four scenes, each opening with a chorus member's narration. Between the scenes are refrains in which chorus members chant and effect transitions. (1) Clicking on part of a scene reveals certain characters and chorus members. The characters talk with each other, unfolding additional aspects of the story. If the viewer interacts no further, the dialog plays out and the program returns to the main story. (2) As the characters' dialog proceeds, the viewer may click on one or more of the chorus members, who interject comments. (3) If the viewer clicks on a character during the dialog, that character turns to the most recently active chorus member. They exchange relevant remarks, and then the dialog resumes. (4) One chorus member reveals a "graffiti wall" pertaining to the scene. Here the program is most true to the chorus metaphor: by adding his or her own comments, the viewer in effect joins the chorus. Comments are marked by glyphs that subsequent viewers can query to see other viewers' comments. (5) Another chorus member reveals lists of references that cite sources of information and media used in the presentation. The chorus members associated with each module can change each time TOGI plays. The software keeps track of a viewer's interactions and adjusts the presentation accordingly: frequently selected chorus members can be suppressed, and infrequently queried ones brought forward, to ensure a balance of perspectives.
Contacts:
Joseph Katz
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Technology Areas:
Off the Desktop Interaction and Display
Graphics
Net Services
Modification Date: January 23, 2007
