The Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance

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Exercises

Play a scene in which each offer you make is dictated by someone directing either “information,” “emotion,” or “action.”

Topics

Causality moves a story from scene to scene. It can also shape the progression of the scene itself. Let what spects say and do cause your responses, which then cause their responses. Moment-to-moment causality helps you avoid playing for the spect and keeps you playing with the spect.

Exercises

Two players play a scene with an outside observer identifying causes and telling each player what to do next. (E.g., “Because she sneezed, you hand her a tissue.”)

Exercises

Play a scene in which you respond to each offer that the spect makes by establishing credit or blame, being emotionally changed, or treating it as though there is an ulterior motive behind the offer.

Topics

There are many contributors to an interactive story. Inter-actors, directors, designers, and authors all play important roles. But at its heart, an interactive narrative is the spect’s story.

Topics
being emotionally changed by what someone says or does

When someone does something and your emotion changes, that’s “taking the hit.” It’s a bit like stunt fighting. Someone else tries to affect your character, and you complete the illusion by taking the hit.

Exercises

One or more players play a scene in which they ask the observers, “What happens next?” Someone tells them, then the players do that. Then the players ask what happens next again, the viewers tell them, and the players do that. This pattern continues until the scene is over.

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Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance