Reading #8

The Burrill reading discussed performance in its relation to digital media. While it talked about a few different themes and questions related to the subject, the one I found most interesting was the question, "Is the player in a video game the audience or the performer?" An argument could certainly be made for both cases. The player is the audience because he is the one the game is designed to entertain. However he is also the performer since in many ways he controls the plot and interaction of the game. While story events may be similar regardless (or may not be), the player is the one that physically explores the narrative space. In my opinion, the user is always going to be a degree of both the performer and the audience. However, the more control the player has and the more freedom they have exploring the narrative space, the more agency they obtain and the more they become the performer.

The Chapter 5 Ryan reading discussed the influence of user interaction on narrative. He discussed New Media and the way it has transformed the role of the user in his or her own entertainment. New media users help build the narrative space around them through action and decision. The reading concluded by discussing ways that agency should be limited in certain cases where media wants to hold complexity in characters (as opposed to making the character an empty shell that exists only to reflect the user).