Jeremy Mattocks

In my previous post, I addressed what I believe are the two main problems for story endings in interactive fiction. In this continuation, I’ll propose two satisfying alternative forms IF can take.

The First Alternative: The Never-Ending Story

I posit the two pitfalls of ending IF I (addressed in my previous post) arise from a failing to make a critical distinction between player-as-writer games and player-as-reader fiction.

A story that truly incorporates a significant amount of freedom, perhaps, is one that involves the player on the level of a writer rather than a reader. After all, if I’m really going to feel like I’m writing my own story, the last thing I want is to be forced into someone else’s ending.

Of course, it may be impossible to ever give a player total freedom. But video games like Oblivion, Fallout, and Mass Effect seem to allow enough freedom for us to feel that we’re not just playing out someone else’s story, but really writing your own, unique experience. In these cases, the best thing to do is obviously to create a full, immersive world enough world in which players can actively participate instead of merely observing. Read More »