Janet Murray

I had never before considered amusement park rides in light of their narrative qualities, but when I read Janet Murray's chapter on immersion, it became clear to me that these intricately planned environments and machines are examples of some of the most immersive narrative structures available. Murray cites Jurassic Park in her discussion, but I'd like to head over to Disney's Magic Kingdom for my example because that's where my loyalties lie. I've been going to Magic Kingdom since before I could walk or talk, and to this day, I still find the illusion created by the park very enthralling. The whole thing is a huge, immersive show. The staff, the setting and the rides all make you feel like you're in another world outside reality. Each area of the park is designed to take you to a different place. Tomorrowland leaps into the future, while Fantasyland brings fairy tales to life. Within these immersive environments, rides serve to further immerse guests by putting them in the middle of the action. Space Mountain, for example, aims to give riders the thrill of traveling through space, which is made possible in the futuristic environment of Tomorrowland.  read more »

I agree with Janet Murray's argument that a computer can be a "compelling medium for storytelling if we can write rules for it that are recognizable as an interpretation of the world." In the case of ELIZA, which Murray uses as her example, the user gets to interact with Eliza in the context of a therapy session, where Eliza acts as the therapist and the user as the patient. The programming is designed to mimic the "neutrality of a Rogerian therapist, who reflects the patient's statements without judgment." In this way, Eliza is like an actress or a character in a story. She advances the "plot" of the story with her responses, which are "exploited for a comic effect because they echo the rigidities of certain psychotherapeutic methodologies." Eliza plays an active role in the discourse of the story because it is made up solely of dialogue. I understand that the program does not clearly define the therapist/patient relationship at the beginning of the dialogue, but with a proper preface, all the pieces fit together into a perfectly plausible story, at least until Eliza breaks down and starts talking gibberish.