Ideation for Narrative

Topic

1. Children & Parenting

I have expressed my disliking for children in general and the topic came to mind while I was commuting from home to work in the early hours of the morning. Children can be negligent and, at times, misbehave in public which would often end up ugly for their parents who have to act appropriately to counter their misdemeanor. However, not all parents intuitively handle the situation well. The way a child behaves at home or in public reflects their guardian’s parenting skills.

With this context in mind, I wish to come out with a “dos and donts” narrative that would approach the issue which concerns parenting in public.

2. Hantu Tetek

Southeast Asian folklores have always sparked some interest in me at a very young age. The adults in my family used to frighten me with scary tales about the Hantu Tetek to have me home before dusk falls. But is the legend true? Or is it simply a myth to scare children into thinking that if they stay out too late, a demon with gigantic mammary would come and capture them?

I am very interested in further researching about this topic and create a narrative that not only discuss about the story of the Hantu Tetek, but also how such monstrous creatures came about in hopes that the viewer unravel some truth about this mythical tale.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_AmhrDSWNe_g/SOz6-_sprbI/AAAAAAAAAo8/1e3GPvsgWxc/s1600/churel.jpg

Topic chosen: Hantu Tetek

Plot

Act 1:
The character has lost his way home in the dense forest of his hometown.
All he has is his dying camera phone (with no signal).
It is getting dark and he will lose his visibility of his trail in a matter of minutes.

Act 2:
He finds himself in the courtyard of abandoned manor but by that time, the sky is dark and it begins to rain.
He takes shelter in the manor, navigating with the flashlight from his dying camera phone.
He feels a presence lurking around, going after him.
He keeps on moving and finds remnants of the past that describes a monstrous breasted-creature that lusts for the blood of young man.
Vigorous sounds can be heard.

Act 3:
Possibility 1 – He finds his way out of the forest and back home.
Possibility 2 – He faces the wrath of the Hantu Tetek.

Mode and Medium:
Interactive Graphic Novel

 

 

Reflection: 4 Concepts of Interactive Narratives

3In his short text, Eric Zimmerman attempted to break down the terminologies of game-story while reconstructing the two by introducing four new concepts – narrative, interactivity, play and game, that were essential to bridge a connection between narrative and interaction. He began with raising the issue that concerned people’s dissatisfaction with the current state of game-story. His aim was to provide a deeper understanding to the relationship between game and story while resolving the problem we face to integrate the two.

I particularly loved how he juxtaposed narrative to a game of chess. When he started to break the concept of chess down was when I realize how much of a story it is rather than a game just by itself. Chess consists of a beginning state (the setup), changes to that state (the gameplay), and a resulting insight (the outcome of the game). He then went on to further explain how chess is a stylized representation of war. Upon this realization, I noticed that all, if not, most games could be a conceptualization of a story.

I also loved how he managed to distinguish the four modes of interactivity as well as how he unconventionally described play as something that opposes the bounds created for a game. Play does not only act as a utilitarian function of the system but also as an expression of the system. He even mentioned how when we take part in a game, we are submitting our behavior to the restrictions of the game.

What struck me most was that he did not raise the debate of whether a game should be considered a narrative or not, but instead he questioned how a game by itself can be narrative and how it can be narrative systems in ways which other medias could not. This excerpt from his text broaden my perspective on what narrative and interactive are and how they correlate.

Link: http://www.ericzimmerman.com/texts/Four_Concepts.html