Blakeley1

MadeleineBlakeley
15December,2015
AnnotatedBibliography
1. HOMAN,DANIEL,andSIDNEYHOMAN."TheInteractiveTheaterofVideoGames:The
GamerasPlaywright,Director,andActor."
ComparativeDrama
Spring/Summer48.1/2
(2014):16986.
Galileo
.Web.11Dec.2014.

2.TheauthorsofTheInteractiveTheaterofVideoGames:TheGamerasDirector,Playwright,
andActorstatethattheaterandvideogamesalikehavebeenworkingtochangetraditional
conceptsofthenarrative.Theauthorsthenuseexamples,includingthevideogame
GoneHome
andstageproduction
SleepNoMore
,todemonstrateaswellascompareandcontrastthe
differentwaystheaterandvideogamesarebecomingmoreinteractiveandplayerdecision
based.Theauthorsusetheseexamplesandexplanationsinordertoshowacorrelationbetween
theprogressionofaudienceinvolvementwithindramaticplaysandplayerinvolvementinvideo
games.Theauthorsintendtoreachawideaudience,andputcomplexinformationintosimple
termsthateffectivelyexplainthetheatricsofvideogamesandmoderndaystageproductions.

3.

Boththetheaterand,morerecently,videogameshavebeenexperimentingwith,twisting,
andturningonitsheadthistraditionalviewofnarrative(D.andS.Homan169).Youpiece
togetherasenseofwhoeveryoneisandwhathappenedthroughseeminglydisconnecteditems
andevidencehiddenaroundthehouse.Andthoseconnectionsareintentionallyweak.Itallows
theplotand170ComparativeDramaconclusionstotakeplaceinthemindoftheplayerandnot

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intheactionofthegame(LucyPebbles,
TheObserver
).Thelifeonscreen,however,was
independentoftheviewer(TomBissell,
ExtraLives
75)nomatterhowengrossingthegame
mayhavebeen(D.andS.Homan175).Choosingfromalistofphysicalandpsychological
traitsfortheheroorthemaincharacter,thegamernowresembledthatcharacter,inasense
livedthroughhim,exercisingacontrolascertainandseamlessasthemeansbywhich[the
gamerwas]beingcontrolled(TomBissell,
ExtraLives,
40)(D.andS.Homan175).Andtothe
objectionthatthevariables(TomBissell,
ExtraLives
86),howevernumerous,arestillpartofa
preexistingdesignfromthemanufacturer,onemightobservethatwhileinreallifewealso
makechoices,andareproducts,tosomedegree,ofwhatStephenGreenblatthascalled
selffashioning,wearestillpartofapreexistingdesign,whetherwedefineitintheological
terms,thedeterminismofaNewtonor,inourday,B.F.Skinner,ortherigidprincipleof
randomnessinquantummechanics.Bissellobservesthatinmorerecentgamesmeaningisa
seesawbetweenthegamesauthor(orauthors)andthegamer,andquotesClintHockingwho
wondershowfaryou[thedesigner,thegamesauthor]arewillingtoletthegamergo,and
why(TomBissell,
ExtraLives
158)(D.andS.Homan175&176).Inthetheater,evenifthe
audienceneverleavetheirseats,theirresponsetotheproductioncanchangeitsmeaning,even,
inasense,thescriptoftheplayasperformed(D.andS.Homan177).

4.ThearticleispublishedbyComparativeDrama,ascholarlyjournalpublishedbyWestern
MichiganUniversity,andisamemberoftheCouncilofEditorsofLearnedJournals.TheArticle
itselfisfeaturedonGalileo,whichisareliablesourceforwellwrittenscholarlyjournals.Sidney
HomanisanEnglishprofessorattheUniversityofFlorida,andhaswrittennumerousanalysisof

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literature,heavilyonShakespeare,andoversawandcontributedtohissonDanielswritingof
TheInteractiveTheaterofVideoGames.

5.Iwillusethecorrelationsbetweentheatreandvideogametrendsemphasizedbythearticlein
ordertoilluminatehowtheatreartsstillremainsapivotalindustryinfluenceoveralltypesof
media.Iwillalsouseittoanalyzethelearningbothformsofmediagainfromobservingeach
other.