[iDC] story web

[E. Miller]

Very interesting piece, thanks.

One thing I wonder: the open development models seem to do a good job at
incremental improvements (Apache: build a better http server, Wikipedia:
build a better article, Firefox: build a better browser) but a rather less
impressive job, qualitatively and subjectively speaking, on creative tasks
(in my personal opinion, witness the almost universally subpar products of
the fanfic community, or the sameness and derivative nature of user
contributions to MMORPGs like Second Life creating a dull and predictable
environment, or the rarity of artistic quality in fan-contributed
electronica remix contests, or the preponderance of Œme too¹ open source
code projects/forks compared to the smaller set of truly innovative or
experimental OSS development projects)

And to use another example, this time from film; so many Hollywood movies
suffer not from a lack of contributors (look at the number of people in the
credits, a number which has grown substantially over the years) but from a
lack of overall coherency and creative narrative from script and direction,
which are dependent on a very small number of creative people.  And I¹d have
to say, having been lucky enough to work with creatives in music, arts, and
advertising for years, that it¹s a talent that few possess.  Very, very few.
And creativity, ultimately, is the key to success and appeal of narrative in
any entertainment medium.

So I like the egalitarian model of community-built narrative, and I
certainly don¹t want to be an aesthetic elitist, but I¹d still guess that
fostering creativity in these environments is not a technical/tools
challenge; it¹s the people.  Please do prove me wrong, but I haven¹t seen
many examples of quality creative work emerging organically from large
groups of participants.

Eric


On 7/3/06 2:31 AM, "Stallabrass, Julian"
<Julian.Stallabrass at courtauld.ac.uk> wrote:

> The Story Web
>  
> I¹ve been thinking about the issue of computer game narrative, which currently
> seems at odds with the interactive character of games, their prodigious
> technical achievements, and the freedoms granted the player in such realms as
> movement and tactics.
>  
> [[ remainder snipped ]]

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