The Hero’s Journey

(1)

Joseph Campbell: The Hero with a Thousand Faces

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monomyth (i.e. the hero’s journey)

!common pattern with strong reference symbols

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symbolic representation of the passage from childhood to adulthood

!departure

!initiation

!return Interactive Storytelling

Lecture slides September 9, 2008.

Innocent world of childhood Separation

Call to adventure Refusal of call Supernatural aid Crossing the first threshold Belly of the whale

Initiation

Road of trials Tests and ordeals

Dragon battle Nadir

Crucifixion Symbolic death/dismemberment

Sparagmos

Meeting with the Goddess

Atonement to recognition by

Father Apotheosis The ultimate boon

Return Refusal of return

Magic flight Rescue Master of two worlds Freedom to live

The Hero’s Journey

Brenda Laurel:

Computers as Theatre

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“When we look toward what is known about the nature of interaction, why not turn to those who manage it best – to those from the world of drama, of the stage, of the theatre?” (Laurel, 1991)

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invisibility of the computer

!designing an interface is the real problem

!creating a representational world that leaves the feeling of the interface behind

Neo-Aristotelian theory of interactive drama

Action Character

Thought Language Pattern Enactment

User interaction

Material for action

Material cause Inferred formal cause

The flying wedge of possibilities

Possible Probable

Potential

Necessary

t

Strategies for

interactive storytelling

(2)

Strategies

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author-centric

!explicit authoring

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character-centric

!emergent narrative

!implicit creation

Measures

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plot coherence

!the perception that the main events of a story are causally relevant to the outcome of the story

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character believability

!the perception that the events of a story are reasonably motivated by the beliefs, desires, and goals of the characters

(Riedl, 2004)

Author-centric

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models the creative process of a human author

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explicit authoring: predefined template to follow runtime

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strong plot coherence

•

not so strong character believability

Example: The Oz Project’s Interactive Drama Engine

Player

Presentation Drama manager

World Character

Character Character

Drama manager techniques

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branching narrative

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universal plan

!beats (i.e. action–reaction pairs)

!interactive plan trees (e.g. HTN)

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^problems

!anticipation of every possible action

!combinatorial explosion

(Louchart & Aylett, 2005)

Drama managers ways to influence

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environmental manipulation

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goal interjection

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shifting personality

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ticking clock of doom

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dropping the fourth wall

(Crawford, 2005)