IMAGINE Network Syposium March 23, 2006, BANFF

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IMAGINE Network SyposiumMarch 23, 2006, BANFF
Hacking Interactive Storyworlds Out of Linear
Plotlines
aka From Integrated Performance Media
to Interactive Storyworlds
LORI SHYBA and J.R. PARKER Digital Media
Laboratory,Interdisciplinary Graduate
Program, University of Calgary, Alberta,
Canada http//www.sundialmedia.com
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Overview
What is this PhD research about? Q How can
interactive theatre in computational environments
lead us to better understand urgent social and
political issues? What is the process by which
improvisational and activist theatre might be
combined with computer technologies to create
innovative interactive theatre art and games?
Whats art got to do with it? Can it open us
to possibilities of connections with our
community, glimmers of meaning or truth, and
maybe even hope for a better world?
Follow the energy
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THE ALBERTA OIL SANDS
Urgent Issue 1 Follow the Energy in

• For a mere 120 billion investment (and
  rising)1.6 TRILLION BARRELS of Bitumen could be
  recovered from the Oilsands.

Theres a paradox
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THE WORLD AT OUR DOOR
What is the paradox? It has to do with ECONOMIC
RISK! Will the future price of oil remain high
enough for oilsands development to remain
profitable? What if alternative fuel development
takes the price below 20-30 US per barrel?
or What if citizens of the world get smart and
lower their levels of consumerism? WHAT THEN?
Keep following the energy
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SPIES IN THE OILSANDS
Follow the energy of subversive humour
An Interactive Performance Media Cabaret
Set in Japan, Finland, Northern B.C., and a Fort
McMurray detox spa, Spies in the Oilsands is the
story of Terra Incognita, an amateur idealist
who steals half-baked alternative energy secrets
from oil company fossil fools in order to save
the world. These fossil fools want to keep their
secrets suppressed until they can exploit the
Alberta Oilsands, so they conspire to kill her
... but she kills them first. Her guilt-ridden
soul is tormented by the burden of their brutal
assassinations, she confesses to her detox
nurses, and is dealt a series of public
retributions from global courts. Whats an
Interactive Performance Media Cabaret? As I
define it, IPM is a technology-mediated, hybrid
art form that combines live theatre, complete
with story narrative, and singing and dancing,
(and martinis?), screen-delivered cinema and
sound design along with audience interaction.
This IPM script is a historybook of much more
innovative storyworld building, youll see. It
just takes some hacking up.
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The Diversity Generators vs The Conformity
Enforcing Fossil Fools
The Role Players Spies vs Spies
The Diversity Generators (Protagonists) Terra
Incognita 20s, owner/operator of Terra Fuels
Inc. Terra wants to save the world and prove
herself as a major player in the global energy
game. Dr. Amen Ra40s, detox Doctor, Egyptian
Sun God, Deus ex Machina. The Nurses Three
detox nurses/confession receivers and set
changers.
The Fossil Fools (Collective Antagonists) Larry
Tarzana Oilpatch security scouts secretly
developing the energy of hot sex (wind energy).
Shacho-san Mariko Work for a Japanese SAG-D
bitumen extraction research lab that is secretly
developing gas hydrate methane fuel. Boris
Goofinoff is a Russian blackmarket-trained
entrepreneur who wheels and deals in nuclear
power, and runs Russky Financial service. He
secretly develops hemp-oil biodiesel products.
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EXPLORATION 1
In what ways is the Spies Integrated Performance
Media (IPM) script hack-able i.e. how does the
inherent temporal fragmentation of this story
structure suggest the possibility of aleatory
storyworlds? Watch for the green dots and yellow
diamonds on the linear escalation -- this is
where the glue is weakest Then imagine pulling on
both ends of the line until it blows
apart. Follow the Energy because anyone can
write a play but it takes guts to trust
audiences with games of chance interventions.
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Escalating Action Chart
From Integrated Performance Media hack away
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Interactive Roadmap
To an Interactive Storyworld creation What a
hack job. What Energy!
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EXPLORATION 2
What kind of play spaces emerge from this hack
job and how might they amplify our concerns about
our worlds energy resources to an audience who
are active player/participants?
The criteria for these storyworlds Have the
possibility of a self-contained story in them
a player-initiated chance interventions that
sometimes builds to a climax in the form of a
game. Provide a dynamic symmetry of experience
between audience/players and the author
emparting a cyclical process of intertextual
interpretation for both allowing a player to put
their own stamp on the experience. Embed a
serious message of depletion/replacement of our
worlds natural energy resources a support
structure for eco-activism. Provide a model for
qualitative research data collection,
verification, and validation through discussion
and interpretive discourse.
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Behind Door 1 Role Playing Game
The leveling up process of gameplay would be much
the same as escalating action for characters of
the Spies IPM script set a goal, encounter the
dangers/risks, procure the objects of desire,
slay the enemy, and proceed to the next level.
Benefit Can use existing script plan because of
the inherent interactivity and stereotypical
nature of the characters. Downside Hugely
expensive. (Did I mention this isnt Lord of the
Rings?)
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Behind Door 2 Stereoscopic VR Games
VR plot nodule scenarios are an exciting prospect
for Spies as a gameplay space. Scenarios,
complete with their designated stereoscopic
games, could be produced for a specific VR
cave, such as Calgarys CCIT iCentre, then
bundled and sent around the world as a Spies
International tour new venues for a new form of
performance game experience. VR productions
offering visual arts-aligned installation or
toys are plentiful but those that interactively
unravel stories in a time-based temporality or
game are rare.
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Door 3 Stand-Alone Computer Games
Games that are entrenched in the IPM narrative
The Pipeline Pinball Energy Thrill Ride Game,
youll see the demo of this game tomorrow. The
Methane Crystal PakuPaku Game, modeled after a
PacMan computer game meets Karaoke extracted from
the action of, The Japanese hot spring SAGD
research lab. A Global Positioning game,
modeled after a Duck Shoot computer game
extracted from the action of The Russian Oil
Tanker Spill.
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Storyworlds of Act One
Oil Rig Northern Canada
Japanese Hotspring Spa
Russian Oil Tanker
Any one of these storyworlds has the possibility
of a self-contained story in them a
player-initiated narrative that builds to a
climax in the form of a game.
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The Pipeline Pinball Energy Thrill Ride Game
A serious game? Maybe a guerrilla game! Is it
Education or Art?
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Theres energy in these particular storyworlds on
several levels
Socio-economic That we cant afford to ignore
alternative energy development while we exploit
existing world hydrocarbon resources, such as the
Alberta Oilsands, to their inevitable
depletion. Art Science/Technology That theatre
can make a significant contribution to guerrilla
(activist/political) game design by implementing
experiential/temporal creative processing. Methodo
logical That through design analysis,
relationships may be found in these storyworlds
between theatre art, computer-technology and
engineering, and interactive games. Can this
evolve artifacts and events towards the
expression of original theories? I think so.
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WANT TO READ OUR SCHOLARLY PAPER From which this
was hacked? Complete with Bibliography! Check out
the ACM Digital Library http//portal.acm.org/affi
liated/citation.cfm?id1109180.1109207collACMdl
acmtypeseriesidx1109180partProceedingsWant
TypeProceedingstitleACM20International20Confe
rence20Proceeding20SeriesCFID15151515CFTOKEN
6184618 Or easier still www.sundialmedia.com/pape
rs/ie2005.pdf

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Thanks to Foreign Affairs Canada, Research and
Conference Fund The Alberta Foundation for the
Arts The University of Lethbridge The
University of Calgary, Special Project Grant
Committee The University of Calgary, CCIT
iCentre The Petroleum History Society The
University of Technology, Sydney and EMMEDIA
Production Society.
Thanks for supporting the energy