Pat's+MSA

Media Specific Analysis Presentation by Pat West June 26, 2012
 * Media Title:**[| **Façade**]
 * Genre:** An interactive drama in one act that uses artificial intelligence
 * Designers:** [|Michael Mateas], Georgia Tech and [|Andrew Stern], InteractiveStory. Net


 * Text Features:**
 * The font style and size are controlled by the game system.
 * The player has the option of having captions on or off. If on, the dialogue of Grace and Trip will display.
 * The textual material is input by the player/participant.
 * Conventions of spelling and case do not seem to matter.


 * Media Features:**
 * The mise-en scene (what one sees on the screen) consists of a closed door that opens to a contemporary styled living room. The objects in the room are significant because they serve as conversation starters or prompts.
 * The game relies on artificial intelligence. The on-screen characters are two animated figures, Grace and Trip.
 * Diagetic sounds (sounds that belong in the story) are the telephone ringing, fallen objects, door closing, etc.
 * Non-diagetic sound (outside the story) is the music that plays in the background.
 * Dialogue is animated at times.
 * All visuals are in color.
 * The introductory page contains directions, hints, and navigational clues.


 * About the Game as Interactive Drama:**

Façade is the “world’s first fully realized interactive drama,” according to many involved persons including the authors. The game came about as a result of a chance meeting of Ph. D student Mateas and Stern at a [|conference]. According to Mateas, he did not intend to make //Façade// interactive fiction or hypertext media, but to go beyond it. It does not depend on commands from the player; once the game is launched, the animated characters proceed with their dialogue. The designers insisted on a short experience game that could conclude in one sitting, similar to the goal of a short story. They also wanted to avoid a setting with huge physical spaces such as forests or battlefields. When asked how he would describe interactive drama, Mateas answered, ‘ To be interactive drama, an experience should have rich, emotive, socially-present characters to interact with, and a strong sense of story progression that is organically and dynamically shaped by the player’s interaction”([]). In a more recent remark, Mateas suggested that //computational media// might be a better term than gaming. //Façade// has gained an entire culture around it that includes a website that offers tee-shirts, hats, and hints. As a visitor, I found the game easy to play once I figured out why Trip threw me out the first three times. It is very important to use the arrow keys to navigate or the drama cannot develop. The memory banks are programmed to interact with the player by teasing, provoking, flirting, and moving. The most success comes from paying attention to the objects in the room which will generate conversation. I found some of it to be in sync with my typed conversation. It takes about 20 minutes to complete the act. At the end, there is a prompt to retrieve the actual script, but no success yet.


 * Commentary:**

As one who has not visited the gaming world since following that little yellow thing around the screen, I found //Façade// engaging and challenging. It is never the same game twice, and as a player you can actually see how you are moving up the unspoken of levels. These levels seem to be determined by the use of language to establish a relationship with Trip and Grace and to intervene as marriage counselor or home-wrecker. I see the game as one of cause and effect which becomes a psychological driving force to outsmart Trip and Grace. As the third character, the player inputs messages which are designed to ‘win’ more than interpret. In effect, this brings us back to Moulthrop’s suggestion that both interpretation and configuration are important functions of gaming narratives. If the player is thrown out at the end of the 20 minutes, then he must think about new signifiers for a different response. Although the overall idea of Façade is good for educational settings, the actual version is not practical for some organizations. Due to certain elements in the memory pack, both characters are prone to release a string of expletives that may work against secondary school policy. The interactive drama is probably more suitable for adults because of the marriage topic anyway. Another drawback is prompts that do not work. There is an option to print out the interactive script, but it has failed each attempt so far. Besides these issues, the next version of Façade, or its sons and daughters have the potential to bridge drama, game, and language. He could serve as the mediator between Janet Murray and Stuart Moulthrop.


 * Discussion Questions:**


 * 1) Given what you have seen in the overview, how can we discuss Façade in terms of Janet Murray’s concept of “immersion?” How do we explain participation as the third character in a drama using artificial intelligence? Based on what you have seen, is //Façade// a game in which you can create belief and enjoy the element of surprise?
 * 2) Last week, I hinted that Stuart Moulthrop ‘s essay “From Work to Play” may help to situate interactive drama in the post-modern world of serious //play//? How does //Façade// fit that model and do you see possibilities for extending the Façade format to other topics—socially, pedagogically, politically, medically?
 * 3) Mateas has taught in both schools—literature and computing. Do you think the game reflects any literary allusions and/or conventions? What would you change?
 * 4) What message/question would you “Tweet” to Mateas or Stern?