Traditionally, documentary has been presented as an objective portrayal of fact: the actualité. Recently, a new breed of 'dramatic' documentary that uses coercion; persuasion, and emotional manipulation has emerged to critical and commercial success. Contemporaneously, interactive entertainment has evolved to the point at which near-realism can be portrayed in real time. This, taken alongside the immersive interaction in which the industry specialises, and the dramatic techniques of engagement employed by the latest documentary films suggests that we may be at the brink of a new cultural form: the interactive documentary. In this paper we discuss the form that interactive documentary might take, and the historical and cultural context into which it fits. We conclude by detailing the issues raised by the concept of the interactive documentary, and how the role of documentary maker as auteur is reconciled with the notion of a truly interactive pathway through such a production. 325 Keywords interactivity documentary new-media interactive entertainment JMP 8 (3) 325-339
Video games are works of written code which portray worlds and characters in action and facilitate an aesthetic and interpretive experience. Beyond this similarity to literary works, some video games deploy various design strategies which blend gameplay and literary elements to explicitly foreground a hybrid literary/ludic experience. We identify three such strategies: engaging with literary structures, forms and techniques; deploying text in an aesthetic rather than a functional way; and intertextuality. This paper aims to analyse how these design strategies are deployed in What Remains of Edith Finch (Giant Sparrow, 2017) to support a hybrid readerly/playerly experience. We argue that this type of design is particularly suited for walking simulators because they support interpretive play (Upton, 2015) through slowness, ambiguity (Muscat et al., 2016; Pinchbeck 2012), narrative and aesthetic aspirations (Carbo-Mascarell, 2016). Understanding walking sims as literary games (Ensslin, 2014) can shift the emphasis from their lack of 'traditional' gameplay complexity and focus instead on the opportunities that they afford for hybrid storytelling and for weaving literature and gameplay in innovative and playful ways.
This paper studies the use of play as a method to unlock creativity and innovation within a community of practice (a group of individuals who share a common interest and who see value in interaction to enhance their understanding). An analysis of communities of practice and the value of play informs evaluation of two case studies exploring the development of communities of practice, one within the discipline of videogames and one which bridges performing arts and videogames. The case studies provide qualitative data from which the potential of play, as a method to inspire creativity and support the development of a potential community of practice, is recognised. Establishing trust, disruption of process through play and reflection are key steps proposed in a ‘context provider’s framework’ for individuals or organisations to utilise in the design of activities to support creative process and innovation within a potential community of practice.
Entertainment Design is an undergraduate module which aims to provide the student with an understanding and awareness of the processes involved in designing and developing a piece of interactive entertainment. At first glance this may appear to be a straight forward task for a broadly experienced academic. However, everything becomes far more complex when shared teaching, students from three different degree programmes, selfdirected group work, and mentors from industry are thrown into the mix. In this paper, we analyse and discuss the development of the module, the creative and collaborative processes that have formed the core of its delivery, and the mutually rewarding outcomes and opportunities that arise when the expectations of all those involved are managed appropriately.
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