The Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance

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When spects change your point of view, it’s sometimes useful for them to see you go through the process. Here are the three steps.

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expressing emotional response while the spect is speaking

The interactive process involves verbal give and take. You say something and the spect responds. The spect says something and you respond. There’s a way to super-charge this process. Instead of waiting until spects have finished speaking, respond emotionally while they’re speaking. This is concurrent emotion. It’s something we do in real life all the time. While the other person is talking, we nod our heads, furrow our brows, or roll our eyes. We exhibit all manner of emotional responses while the other person is speaking.

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reveal a point of view that contradicts one previously established

Humans are complicated. The attitudes and perspectives that we share with others are not always the truth. We present manufactured versions of ourselves for all manner of reasons: social propriety, fitting in, avoiding controversy, deceiving an enemy. Drop the mask is a tool that takes advantage of this behavior, allowing you to change the apparent perspective of your character when needed. Here are the steps:

Exercises

Player A plays as a spect with a clear point of view and play style. Player B plays in a way that makes Player A feel like they are with someone who is like them.

Exercises

Defend a point of view that is the opposite of something that you deeply believe. Argue with logic and passion.

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a question that draws out a point of view

Some questions are hard for spects to answer because they aren’t sure what the “right” answer is. A perspective question is easy for spects to answer because it’s asking what they think or feel about something. They already know that.

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a question that draws out a deeply held perspective

A philosophical question digs deep. It invites a person to consider life at a profound level. The answer to a philosophical question requires consideration and reveals the core values of a character.

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how a character thinks and feels about something

Point of view is how a character thinks and feels about anything—a person, a place, a thing, a circumstance—anything. It’s a perspective that informs what a person initiates and how they respond.

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Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance