Gimlé

Two things are catching my attention before I head off to the lecture (me and Judith are supposed to talk about interactive fiction this evening).

Storyspace hypertexts and Tinderbox ‘blogs, two tools created by Eastgate Systems.

First of all I’d like to point out the contrast between Storyspace-based hypertexts such as “Twilight: A Symphony” and “Afternoon” on one hand and Tinderbox-based ‘blogs on the other.

The Storyspace hypertexts are confusing, utterly nonlinear and hard to read. There is no ending (the concept goes counter to the idea of a true hypertext) or if there is most people quit reading before they find it.

In the close to three years that I’ve been studying hypertexts and digital media, I haven’t seen a single MA student last longer than an hour reading those things before he or she quits in utter boredom.

These are MA students, they are used to reading difficult and boring texts.

These hypertexts are too difficult and boring even for them.

One has to wonder what the point of those things is. And I’m the kind of guy who finds Pynchon’s “The Crying of Lot 49” to be an absolute blast to read, know my Derrida, and think that David Lynch’s movies are brilliant pieces of cinema. So I shouldn’t be the kind of person who finds the reading of these hypertexts to be an intensely boring and negative experience. I like a bit of postmodernism in my entertainment, occasionally.

But these texts are painful, and not in the nice way either.

Tinderbox ‘blogs as a contrast have a clear linear structure (they are updated regularly, giving their structure a temporal basis) with hypertext as a supplementary structure for cross-referencing purposes.

They can be accessible and engaging.

You know what your options are as soon as you see the front page (if the site is properly designed).

They are evolutionary, rather than revolutionary.

You can judge for yourself which sort of structure you find more engaging, accessible, entertaining, thought-provoking, and readable.

I’m on the Tinderbox side myself.

Baldur,
Clifton, Bristol