digital_media_interactivity

Alternative narrative for the Fry Chronicles so one can personalize the way they read with the option to still follow the story chronologically if desired or by topic of interest thus creating an interactive reading experience.

The Infinite Adventure Machine is a program that generates fairy tale plots. As programmer David Benque says "Tales and myths; the core narratives of human culture, have been transmitted for generations through various technologies and media. What new forms might they take through digital formats and Artificial Intelligence?"

Both these examples bring up the very relevant topic of the future of narrative and the role of the author within it. Here we see how the reader interacts with the narrative and creates it using the tools provided. Soon will there be no set guidelines and one can shape their own story to their liking? Even the evolution in e-books and their increased simplicity means there is a rise in readers of all ages thus the element of interactivity becomes more important in such a technologically knowledgeable environment. For example the child interacting with the Infinite Adventure Machine already knows how to use the iPad and the app just helps her learn how to use the tablet better. Thus the program is interactive but also adds a techonological education that can only be applied to this new generation of people used to having everything customized and interactive.

vectorpark.com by Patrick Smith is a collection of extraordinary games. Surreal and without a quantifiable goal, unlike a traditional platform game, these games offer a level of creativity and imagination in beautiful settings. The basis for most of the games is purely exploration, as each element of the environment changes when clicked upon. These surprises do not aid one in understanding the purpose behind them thus rendering it purely for enjoyment, which is what a game is really about.

On the other hand nitrome.com makes old school style pixel games which are extremely fast paced and packed with action. Working on different levels the user challenges himself to proceed and accomplish the game. Based in London, Nitrome have made over 100 platform games varying from 1 to 100 different levels and unique characters and bosses.

digital media : Final Cut Pro

Experimenting with making videos in groups on Final Cut Pro enabled us to discover another way of modifying our work and adding another visual element to it. It also calls for more collaboration as any videos with a creative commons license can be modified and remixed to form new ones. Final Cut Pro is interesting because it has so many possibilities with filters and distortion that it is surprising how straight forward it is to use.