Interesting feelings at the end of the story when gaming. The sudden surprise twist of the proganist’s death, and a pang of guilt and horror; after all, I was responsible for him and spent a couple weeks with him and felt we had bonded. I feel I’ve let him down.
No such problems like that with a static text story, or a movie. The interaction of gaming involves the player to even more than control of the story, it involves him emotionally, even if it is just as a win/lose situation rather than a sympathetic relationship of sorts with the characters. The responsibility is one thing, knowing you have control and the tools to maneuver to a (victory/happy ending/successful resolution), but of course you do not have total literary license because there is a prewritten script that allows for reader choice, and it changes as the reader makes his decisions.
Very interesting thoughts of narrative structure and reader/user involvement here. I’ll write more about this, but right now, I’m too upset, too overcome with shock and grief over the loss of my friend, James who gallantly followed my lead and trusted me to keep him safe.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology