ABSTRACT
The internet is history’s biggest story machine. Every day, millions of people post photos, tweets, videos, polls, and a thousand other forms of content – telling the story of their own lives: a new haircut, a hot take on pop culture, a silly thing that their cat did. There is an enormous audience for interactive storytelling: those who would not consider themselves gamers but would love to engage with a story the same way that they already engage with content online – following links from one piece of content to the next, whether it is to get more detail or to see a different perspective. Media critics are fond of pointing out what different forms are good at in terms of their “affordances.” A novel is great for a story with a lot of interior layers that can be read off and on, while a film is better suited for showing action and interaction between characters in generally one sitting.
