brenda laurel

The builder of Façade, an "interactive story world," Michael Mateas offers both a poetics and a neo-Aristotelian project (for interactive drama and games).

Pat Harrigan and Noah Wardrip-Fruin introduce Cyberdrama, the first section of First Person.

Secret agency is at issue in Frasca's response, which denies the application of Aristotle to the open-ended interactivity of gaming.

Narrativists vs. ludologists, material vs. formal constraints: Michael Mateas replies by identifying actors' roles in each division.

Gonzalo Frasca's proposal for videogames that address "critical thinking, education, tolerance, and other trivial issues."

Which alias best fits interactive fiction?
The nominees are:
"Story," "Game," "Storygame," "Novel," "World,"
"Literature," "Puzzle," "Problem," "Riddle," and "Machine."
Read, and decide.

Lisette Gonzales reviews a book of essays by Matthew Fuller that examines the way we are programmed by software.