What is Electronic Literature?

 Chapter one of the textbook and N. Katherine Hayles' "Electronic literature: What is it?" both seek out a definition of electronic literature. Retteberg understands the style as literature that, without the digital context, couldn't be possible. It was interesting reading how he differentiates between print and electronic literature. To print a work of literature is to finalize it, "to have reached a state of fixity and completion" (Retteberg, 7). He encourages readers to view pieces of elit as "projects" rather than a piece of work because projects can be further explored, edited, and "can and will change over time" (Rettegerg, 7). Retteberg also dives into what he calls the great "debate" within electronic literature: do humans shape technology by social construction, or have humans become shaped by technologies that structure their environment? He ends up agreeing with N. Hayles stand on the debate, which I agree with too. That is, humans and technology are coevolving through a type of feedback loop system. 

 http://www.interactivestory.net/.

Michael Matteas and Andrew Stern devloped this AI game in 2005. The video link is a preview into how the game works, showcasing multiple "paths" the user can take to control the story. The game revolves around a "happy" couple, Trip and Grace, and you, the invitee to their apartment for dinner. Depending on how you respond to their questions, different truths will be uncovered and many possibilities for how long the game will last. N. Katherine Hayles interprets the game as an "interactive drama" that uses a language called "ABL (A behavior language)" (Hayles, 2007). ABL encodes the reactions and dialogue the user chooses as well how the user places themselves and interacts with the environment. There are a lot of youtube videos showcasing how to achieve different plots of this game. I watched a few and they are weird but funny. Watching and AI game like this that was made almost 20 years ago now is bizarre to think about how much our interactive games have evolved. 

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