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Author Archives: Sherol Chen

Interactive Storytelling of the Less-Virtual Variety

By Sherol Chen | Published: February 5, 2010

What do American Idol, lonelygirl15, and Invisible Children have in common? They were all instituted to function based off of mass audience interactions and they all deliver strong and dramatically-compelling narratives.  The idea of interactive preexists video games and virtual worlds, and it’s alway refreshing to go back and examine new ways that interactivity plays out in […]

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Time Travel: What Google Wave and Braid have in Common

By Sherol Chen | Published: December 2, 2009

At this point, most people should know of Google Wave.  Fewer have had an opportunity to start “waving,” as Google Wave is still in a “limited preview” stage.  Usually, I’m not the first in line to adopt a new technology, because I always need substantial convincing for why I should bother.  In the case of […]

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Procedural Literacy is the New Black

By Sherol Chen | Published: November 8, 2009

It has to have been 4 or 5 years since I’ve seen a recent Simpsons episode.  After catching up on the last few episodes, I can really appreciate how “with it” the Simpsons have been.  After all, it’s gotta be relevant if being parodied by the Simpsons.    Particularly relevant is episode 21, where Bart’s teacher […]

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Reverse Engineering the Brain and the ELIZA Effect: Is Believability Ethical?

By Sherol Chen | Published: September 17, 2009

Pet Society, Tamagotchi, Milo Over winter break this past year, I went to a conference in Chicago for Graduate and Faculty Christians. I found myself having to choose between the Engineering track and the Math track (I went with Engineering). At the conference were some well known researchers, such as Fred Brooks and Francis Collins. […]

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“The Most Important Video Game Yet Made” – The Beatles: Rock Band, Debated

By Sherol Chen | Published: September 8, 2009

First, if you haven’t heard about it, come tomorrow (9-9-09), The Beatles: Rock Band is released.  In preparation for its receptions, the game has instigated a lively inter-generational debate.  The lines are not so clearly drawn as to which communities or generations rest on which side, which makes it quite a unique situation. Many people, […]

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Nonlinear Storytelling in Games: Deconstructing the Varieties of Nonlinear Experiences

By Sherol Chen | Published: August 27, 2009

What is “the mark of the narrative”? In chapter 1 of her book, Marie-Laure Ryan, discusses the transmedial nature of narrative and gives a broad definition provided by H. Porter Abbott:  Narrative is the combination of story and discourse.  I believe the distinction of story and discourse is quite novel and under-appreciated in the area […]

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