object-oriented narrative

Finally, there is the object-oriented narrative, which is the most radical break in narrative structure. The object-oriented structure is highly responsive and introduces a certain degree of entropy or chaos. Object-oriented structures in interactive entertainment are derived from design techniques used in computer programming. Object-oriented design is “a method in which a system is modeled as a collection of cooperating objects and individual objects are treated as instances of a class within a class hierarchy.” Utilizing independent objects within a specified “hierarchy,” or environment, offers the advantages of a changeable and fluctuating story within a designed setting. Currently, this structure has only appeared on the Internet, but it is the direction of the interactive narrative media of the future.

The object-oriented narrative advances the opportunity for multiple users to interact within a user-controlled environment. An example of an object-oriented interactive entertainment is David Blair’s WAXweb, a self-described “multi-media integrated narrative.” WAXweb is an interactive film on the World Wide Web (WWW), based on David Blair’s eighty-five minute electronically-constructed independent feature, Wax, or The Discovery of Television Among the Bees (1991). WAXweb is a practical application of repurposing a film via the Internet, complete with video, audio, still pictures and text—all of which can be added to, rearranged, expanded or commented on by anyone using the site.

 

WAXweb operates through a system called a MOO (MUD Object Oriented). MOOs stem from a type of Internet gaming called a MUD, which stands for Multi-User Domain. Generally, these are text-based adventure games played on-line, which were inspired by role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons. MOOs follow the object-oriented narrative structure illustrated in the diagram, and serve to create a collaborative and modifiable operating environment. These systems involve multiple users who assume their own, virtual identities within the MOO. David Blair explains the interactive process in the MOO and MUD environment:

 

To play in a MUD, people travel (telnet) to a machine running the software, log on under archaic pseudonyms, and wage text against other users. The live, on-line intercommunication is what makes them unique... they are text-based virtual realities. While MUDs are fixed gaming areas, with fixed rules, MOOs are completely open and allow users to reconfigure the space, make new rooms, and even do a certain amount of Basic-style programming. MOOs can still have gaming aspects, but they are more often used as meeting, presentation, and workplaces, where you can be alone, or with many people.

 

Through the MOO, audience members (users) are allowed to reprocess the film, since they can read from and write to the WAXweb site. The effect is extraordinary and takes some time to get use to. When I first visited WAXweb, my interactions were a chaotic series of point-and-click sessions. Since WAXweb is structured as an object-oriented environment, I was unfamiliar with its organization, and, more importantly, what it was trying to say. In other words, the confusion stemmed from WAXweb’s non-linearity. Once the user realizes the necessity for causal learning, WAXweb can be an invigorating and captivating experience. The creative possibilities are vast: one can create back-story or link parts of the film together in uncommon ways, expand on certain concepts, images or sounds . . . or, simply talk to other people within the film. In WAXweb, the audience literally becomes the author of the story, and the film becomes a global endeavor.

 

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