Interactive narrative

Let me start off this entry saying, I am in no way particularly qualified to define the term 'interactive narrative.' I did not coin the term, nor am I any sort of researcher in the digital media field. However, I do have an idea of what 'interactive narrative' should mean.

Quite simply, the term should mean some sort of story that is created as a result of a person's answer(s) to prompt(s) set forth by and designed to further its plot. These narratives could have one, multiple, or zero set endings. It is the user-chosen process of progression that makes such stories 'interactive narratives.'


My first memory of (what falls within my definition of) an interactive narrative came in fourth grade. Two days a week my class went to the computer lab. We spent much of our time there playing my beloved Oregon Trail. For those of you who aren't familiar, Oregon Trail is a computer game in which the play assumes a role as a parent who tries to get his/her family through the trail to the Pacific Ocean. The player decides companions' name, what supplies to buy, what paths to take, how to cross each river, et cetera. More often than not, all of the wagons break, oxen run away, and family members drown in Snake River. That is, most of the time the player never makes it all the way to the Pacific.

Oregon Trail was very important to our learning. We learned about geography, history and societies, human and animal health, the pioneering lifestyle, agricultural, accounting and math, and changing covered-wagon wheels. (And don't forget the fine motor skills we refined while trying to click-shoot a buck for our dinner.) Most importantly, being able to inject ourselves into the game made us develop an incredible appreciation for the plight of our predecessors. After all, the men and women were placeholders for our real life relatives. Additionally, this game caused us to swell up with state pride (as we were Oregonians). I mean, what other state is the object of such an exodus AND the inspiration for a wildly popular computer game?


I do have one qualm with naming Oregon Trail a simple interactive narrative. The outcomes of the game depend on both player choices AND chance. For example, fording Snake River may be the wrong call most of the time, but occasionally it will be successful. It is up to the discretion of a computer game to decide. It prevents absolute cause-and-effect learning. But I wonder, does that mean the whole game is bad?

The metaphorical river of life as seen in Apple II's Oregon Trail

In my opinion, Oregon Trail is an excellent game to teach the vulnerable, luck-dependent lifestyle of those on the trail, among other things. Even if it doesn't work in exclusively in linear cause-and-effect ways, players still learn to weigh each option before making decisions in the game. When it comes to crossing a river, players consider the deepness, currents, rockiness, etc before opting to ford the river, wade across, or travel north to find a calmer path. So what if luck can override reason? That's the way it really happened, and isn't that we we're supposed to be learning?



For a unique and childish article about Oregon Trail's sly educational impressions, read this.