Original Comment by: Patrick
http://www.kingludic.blogspot.com
"Can the plot of a single-player game be made to include both engaging gameplay, and the kinds of characters, attachments and tension that can be used to create emotional moments on down the line? I see no reason why not. Though we've encountered this relatively rarely in the history of gaming, there's no reason to believe developers who are interested in making games into literature (not, mind you, interactive storytelling) won't find a way to accomplish it on a more consistent basis."
I'm with you, until that sneakly little parenthesized phrase near the bottom. What distinction are you trying to make? How do you define game, literature, interactivity and storytelling? I'm afriad you're drawing a straw man comparison with a term that is yet theoretical and often stigmatized by its association with Chris Crawford, who has willingly alienated himself from "game".
Lots of people, some of them brilliant game designers, have responded to any mention of interactive storytelling as "oh, well, thats another thing entirely." I'm telling you, its not, its still about rules and weighted feedback loops and play. Its just a different kind of play, the kind of play you seem to be talking about.
