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Interactive Storytelling: What Broadway Can Learn from the Gaming Industry

Gaming has made gamers the stars of their own stories, and interactive storytelling is a big part of what's made that possible. It hasn't always been this way; in its early years, gaming focused more on simple mechanics and arcade-style gameplay with very little narrative involved. That's changed a lot in the past several years, with gamers becoming active participants and influencing a game's plot. They're able to shape a game's outcomes based on their decisions and actions, making each playthrough a unique experience. As gaming has changed to become more interactive, the question arises of whether Broadway can follow suit. In this article, we look at the ways Broadway can learn from the gaming industry to bring more interactivity to live theater productions.

Definition and Importance of Interactive Storytelling

When we talk about interactive storytelling, we're describing situations where the audience is given the power to influence the plot. Instead of a movie or gaming being a passive experience for the player or audience, they take on an active role, something that's increasingly common in video games and immersive theater. With interactive storytelling, these mediums go from being linear narratives to giving the audience the ability to make choices that can change the story. We see this in video games like The Last of Us and Detroit: Become Human, where players have to think through choices that can have a significant impact on the direction of the narrative.

While complex narratives don't usually come to mind when we talk about the typical casino game, many slot games do include some elements of storytelling. Online platforms like Wildz Casino host an assortment of themed slots with titles like Book of Dead and 9 Masks of Fire that explore different mythologies, adventures, and mystical themes as players spin the reels. While there are no complex dialogues, these games immerse players in a rich thematic world with a simple yet engaging structure that makes the gaming experience highly entertaining.

If you've ever been to a Broadway show, you know that they traditionally use fixed scripts that don't deviate and seldom ask for any audience participation. While this approach has worked for centuries, it's possible some shows could be well-served by integrating interactive elements to create an even more immersive experience and allowing the audience to shape scenes or the endings through interactive choices.

Techniques Used in Gaming That Could Benefit Broadway

Player or viewer agency is something that's increasingly used in video games that could add something to Broadway productions. Games like Red Dead Redemption 2 or The Last of Us put players in the driver's seat, giving them the power to make decisions that impact the storyline. This player involvement brings them closer to the game's characters and makes them feel more invested in the story's outcome. Theatrical productions could incorporate this on a larger scale by allowing audiences to vote on certain plot points or character decisions, all of which could change the outcome of the play.

Multiple endings are another technique from video games that Broadway could consider incorporating. It won't work with every production, but this technique could be used on a case-by-case basis. Many video games use immersive world-building to tell their stories, and this is something that could be used in stage design to create dynamic spaces where the audience feels like they're part of the story.

Tools and Technology Enabling Interactive Experiences

Tools like artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) are quickly becoming a big part of gaming. They have helped game developers and designers create narratives that are more responsive to player input. Developers have used AI to make game worlds and character behaviors adaptable based on the real-time decisions a player makes. In contrast, VR has made game worlds even more immersive, allowing players to interact with the storyline in a 3D space.

In the theater, VR headsets could transport theatergoers to a virtual set, making it possible for them to interact with a performance in real time. Theaters could also use digital props and mapping to make performances more interactive and tactile in a way that's similar to what we find in video games.