Introduction

This chapter presents the most relevant topics raised by the notion of interactive storytelling, with the aim of highlighting a number of issues that authors should be aware of. Some preliminary definitions are presented, such as action, graph, and interactivity, and some of the main issues raised in the interactive storytelling debate are highlighted, such as authorship, control, and database narrative. Finally, the general model of analysis used throughout the volume is presented. This chapter invites authors to set their work on a solid foundation and begin the creative process with a clear cultural premise in mind. In a 1940s textbook on dramatic writing, Lajos Egri explains that the most important thing for a successful narrative is the premise. He advised screenwriters to draft a well-formulated premise, which should be the goal, the direction, the basic idea that forms the core of the play’s plot. According to Egri, the premise contains the basic meaning of the story and summarises the entire plot. The notion of premise not only summarises the story, but also contains the explicit and implicit elements that form the basis of that narrative. This is what is called the story world: everything that precedes the actual realisation of the specific story. Within the thematic boundaries of this book, the story world includes both the elements of traditional storytelling and the specific elements of digital media: the cultural context in which the story is to be told, the basic elements of the narrative, the different genres of interactive media entertainment (e.g., games), and the elements processed by the software. These are the criteria that form the basis for the implementation of an interactive storytelling work.