Poster
Reference
The mechanics of situations - Understanding stories in the light of computer-based interactive drama
SZILAS, Nicolas
SZILAS, Nicolas. The mechanics of situations - Understanding stories in the light of
computer-based interactive drama. In: Narrative Matters 2018: The ABCs of Narrative, Entschede (Netherlands), July 2-5, 2018, 2018
Available at:
http://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:125303
Disclaimer: layout of this document may differ from the published version.
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food together
Fox
b s
Ass
b s
partners
The mechanics of situations
Understanding stories in the light of computer-based interactive drama
"Describing the situation of a play is like taking a picture of all the relationships of the characters at a particular moment, like ‘freezing’ the development of the events to take stock of the action." (Pavis, 1998)
Example: The Ass, the Fox and the Lion
An Ass and a Fox went into partnership and sallied out to forage for food together.
r
hungry eat Ass r
food together
Fox
b s
Ass
b s
eat Fox
Lion d
d
partners
b
b
animals
s s
They hadn't gone far before they saw a Lion coming their way, at which they were both dreadfully frightened.
But the Fox thought he saw a way of saving his own skin, and went boldly up to the Lion and whispered in his ear, "I'll manage that you shall get hold of the Ass without the trouble of stalking him, if you'll promise to let me go free." The Lion agreed to this,
and the Fox then rejoined his companion and contrived before long to lead him by a hidden pit, which some hunter had dug as a trap for wild animals, and into which he fell.
When the Lion saw that the Ass was safely caught and couldn't get away, it was to the Fox that he first turned his attention, and he soon finished him off, and then at his leisure proceeded to feast upon the Ass.
r
r
hungry eat Ass r
food together
fox s
ass
b s
eat Fox
lion d
d
partners
b
b
animals
s s
rested s n
n stalking promise
stalking
d
Get hold of the ass
Ass runs x
eat Ass easily x
Trap in pit
deal
b b b r
hungry eat Ass r
togetherfood
Fox s
Ass
b s
eat Fox
Lion d
d
partners
b
b
animals
s s
rested s n
n stalking promise
stalking
d
Get hold of the ass
Ass runs x
eat Ass easily x
deal
b b
b
r
hungry eat Ass r
food together
Fox s
Ass
b s
eat Fox
Lion d
d
partners
b
b
animals
s s
rested s n
n stalking
stalking
d
Get hold of the ass
Ass runs
eat Ass easily x
deal
b b b
BUILDING
BUILDING UP
SHIFTING
EXHAUSTING WORKING
Legend
r
no de s
Betray a friend, and you'll often find you have ruined yourself.
R el at io ns
Mechanisms to move the story forward:
BUILDING, WORKING,
BUILDING UP, SHIFTING, and
EXHAUSTING situations Model: G O T S E C S structures
h a r a c t e r i f d f
e e c t a s
k o a
l
e t b s
t a c l e
+ conflict
Character Side Effect Task
Goal
reaching Obstacle
Set
n
needing
i
inhibiting
x
exciting
s
satisfying
u
unsatisfying
b
belonging
d
degradation
NB: obstacles and side effects are put directly on tasks, implicitly representing inhibiting and collateral relations
respectively.
i
inhibiting
c
colateral
References
Aesop. (1994). Aesop’s Fables (Wordworth). Wordsworth Classics.
Pavis, P. (1998). Dictionary of the Theatre: Terms, Concepts and Analysis, trans. Christine Shantz. Toronto and Buffalo: University of Toronto Press.
Szilas, N., Estupiñán, S., & Richle, U. (2016). Qualifying and quantifying interestingness in dramatic situations. In F. Nack & A. S. Gordon (Eds.), 9th International Conference on International Digital Storytelling (ICIDS 2016) (Vol. 10045, pp. 336–347). Cham: Springer.
Szilas, N. (2017). Modeling and representing dramatic situations as paradoxical structures. Digital Scholarship in the Humanities, 32(2).
http://tecfalabs.unige.ch/aesop
