Nick Montfort speaks of a similar issue when analyzing another Interactive Fiction piece, Bronze. Montfort states, “Bronze provides a specific set of possibilities, however, not every imaginable text: the player character cannot walk off, get into a sport utility vehicle, and drive away.” Although players have the option and the mentality that interactive narratives are being shaped because of their input, in actuality the only thing players are contributing to the story is the sequence in which it is presented, quashing the notion of player control. The amazing thing about Interactive Fiction is that two people can be sitting next to each other playing the exact same game, beginning at the exact same time, and yet experience the same stories in a different order. While such a change in sequence can be argued as presenting “new” narrative possibilities, the idea that an individual engaging with a work of IF is able to change the course of narrative at any time in any way is an illusion. The major difference between Interactive Fiction and traditional books is that books give you a precise beginning and end, while IF works such as Bronze leave the entire story up for interpretation, not identifying a clear ending. Because there is no fixed “end” as readers are accustomed to, players can potentially stop typing commands at any time they feel their maximum potential has been met. In the case of Shade, the finding of the tickets could have been a possible end for some, while others continued on the journey and found a strange figure hiding inside the vacuum cleaner, contributing to a bigger message regarding hallucinations and the tempestuous nature of subjective understanding. Perception takes a big role in Interactive Fiction, as players who reach their “end” may stop where others feel they have barely reached the rising action. Although players interact with their online characters, it is questionable whether they can consider their commands “interactions”, or simple restrictions within the story, as stated by Montfort. The definition of “interactivity” within Interactive Fiction is vague and slightly contradictory, as it essentially restricts players from truly interacting with any sort of responsive system, while convincing players of their personal stake within IF stories.

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