Stephanie

That's a way sweeter name than "Storytron." Anyway. Honestly I've been having a bit of a hard time understanding what this software actually does and how's it's different than other software that makes games already. Does it create graphics? Or is that a separate program. I think it's because I don't understand too much about game programming or computers to begin with. So my understanding of the Storytron is that the guy who made it thinks that narrative is bad because it's not truly interactive. He thinks the solution is to make a program that allows the game designer to be a "storyteller" and think of a general scenario and then throw these characters into it to randomly act within it. The game maker doesn't set any specific events or make the characters do specific things, but they simply react to what the protagonist (the player) chooses to do based on their inclinations which are given them by the programmer. Supposedly this set up allows for the player to truly be creative and make the story happen in reaction to their personality or how they make their character act. It's an interesting concept I think. It can be frustrating sometimes to know that the decisions you make while playing a game don't really change what happens to the story because it is, ultimately, linear. Especially with cut scenes, which really make it obvious that you aren't changing the story in any way. The story unfolds based on if you achieve a certain goal and reach the point at which you get to see the cut scene, or proceed forward into a set storyline. I really like this style of game. But the possibilities that a program like the storytron opens up for a totally new style of game could be really really cool if it works successfully. I'm looking forward to seeing if anything comes of it. One thing that I wasn't so into about the storytron is how unimportant the idea of scenery and stages are to the creator, because I think moving around in an environment is a big part of "interactivity" and to dismiss that is a huge mistake on their part. To make the environment just like a background that characters go to based on their inclinations is pretty boring, or that they need to be there to make something happen. Exploring environments to find stuff or just look around is one of the most fun parts of any game, I think.