Narrative....blah!

I attempted to browse independently to find interactive narratives but I was not successful. Radha did a spectacular job finding helpful sources. I revisited her blog and I remain impressed. Not that my endorsement is a sign of worthiness but her blog post on interactive narrative is definitely 'cream of the crop'. I tested a few narratives in search of the easiest to maneuver. Campaign rush seemed to be the most challenging. My adventure began with an overwhelming excitement to 'post-participate' in the campaign. After five minutes I was overcome with unpleasant emotions. Scratching my brain and questioning the resourcefulness of the tool I concluded that the purpose of the narrative was to expose potential workers to the fatigue that present campaign workers went through. I was not amused or excited at the end.

Hurricane Katrina Tempest In Crescent City was a very strange narrative. It was very hard to guide the character through the city by using four arrows and a space bar. This could work as a teaching tool. The student or participant can pick and chose who to interact with which determines the character's ability to move to the next level. The narrative begins with a comic book excerpt which introduces the participant to the purpose of the game. 

Darfur is Dying presented an interactive, game-like narrative story. I learned more from this narrative than the ones listed above. The participant is introduced to a large family of characters. I chose a 12-year old girl named Abok. Attempting to guide Abok to the well for water was more difficult than I thought. I failed but learned a lesson. Children and adult women are raped and abused in Darfur. At the end of the journey a passage pops onto the screen informing me that I can help the people in Darfur. I felt more connected to the content due to the presentation. The narrative requires the participant to act or play and through play the participant is exposed to the pain and suffering of the people in Darfur.