Millard, David (2022) Strange Patterns: Structure and Post-Structure in Interactive Digital Narratives. In, Hargood, Charlie, Millard, David, Mitchell, Alex and Spierling, Ulrike (eds.) The Authoring Problem:: Challenges in Supporting Authoring for Interactive Digital Narratives. (Human-Computer Interaction Series) 1st ed. (In Press)
Abstract
Structure is key to interactive narrative authoring. It can be perceived at the micro, meso, and macro levels of navigation, and when presented as common patterns creates a toolbox from which authors can build their stories. This structuralist approach to authoring appeals to the engineer's mindset, but post-structuralists would argue that no patterns are fundamental or universal. As Interactive Digital Narratives become more gamelike they turn into Strange Hypertexts, with playful mechanics deeply aligned with their narrative goals. This ludonarrative aspect of IDNs is exactly the sort of shift in perspective that post-structuralism warned us about and suggests that patterns might limit authors rather than empowering them. This chapter reviews the reported patterns in hypertext and interactive narrative, and explores how patterns could continue to be important for authoring in a strange and post-structural world.
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