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Interactivity

Dario Dominguez, Author

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Presumption of Total Control

Every Interactive Fiction narrative has a different plot, but corresponds to certain guidelines when it comes to user interaction that are similar to guidelines found in gaming. Subjectivity is a recurring term that appears frequently within this genre, as the “player” appears to be fully guiding the conversation. Readers become “players” due to the fact that they engage in game-like scenarios that hinge on the decisions they make as “player characters”, allowing for the disembodiment of their personal identity through the role they assume while “playing” the narrative; or, perhaps because they are simply being “played” to believe that narrative progression is entirely dependent on their involvement. Interactive Fiction allows players to lead the plot in whichever way they desire. There is no obvious right or wrong way of entering the game, as players are made to believe that they have full control of the story, since they command their character to follow whichever orders the player types into the system. This presumption of total control is made by most users, although realistically, players can only type in commands that have been registered by the creator to be read as a possible command. Although players initially guide the conversation in any given Interactive Fiction piece, it is the players that become guided by the game rather than guiding the game themselves. 

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