Book details of 'Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace'

Title	Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace
Author(s)	Janet H. Murray
ISBN	0262631873
Language	English
Published	August 1998
Publisher	MIT Press

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The Virtual Bookcase Reviews of 'Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace':

Reviewer amazon.com wrote:
Technology changes storytelling--movies don't tell stories in the same manner as wandering bards. Janet H. Murray, director of the Laboratory for Advanced Technology in the Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is fascinated with the changes emerging technologies may bring. Interactive tales, more versatile structures, stories as games, and games as stories are among the topics she explores in her very personable and entertaining style. And what about fears that interactive escapism could be the coming addiction? She makes an unblinking examination of this question with insight into both the technological possibilities and the strengths of the human psyche. Strongly recommended for anyone who loves the art of storytelling in any medium. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Reviewer Rob Slade wrote:
Actually, I find it very hard to say what this book is about. According to the subtitle, and the promotional material, the intent is to look at narrative; storytelling, literature, or "plotted" entertainment; and the new forms that may become available as new technology enables it. On the other hand, there seems to be a lot of "gee whiz" gasping at technology for its own sake in the book itself, and relatively little analysis of what new forms may arise. Part one introduces the concept of a change in narrative style and structure with the advent of the computer. Chapter one reviews a number of disparate accounts of "digital" literature, both positive and negative. However, it is notable that almost all of the literatures presented are, themselves, fiction. While Bradbury and Huxley are sterling authors, and the Star Trek spin-offs immensely popular, and while the opinions presented in those works raise questions to be discussed, it is hard to see how stories will tell us the real future of stories. Precursors to a final "holodeck" narrative environment are examined in chapter two. The technologies mentioned are all existing and working, but it is somewhat jarring to have aspects of plotting that have developed from storytelling to novels to movies to MUDs juxtaposed with 3D films and virtual reality. The point of the development of story structure is also weakened when you note how little it has changed through thousands of years and several changes in technology. A variety of new computer technologies are explored in chapter three, but nothing seems to point to any change in actual narration. In addition, subtle errors in background information about the systems examined made me wonder about the author's technical knowledge. Part two wishes to discuss the possible new aesthetics (literary conventions) of a new computer aided literature. Chapter four looks at immersion, distance, and interactivity with new forms but does not appear to draw conclusions. The point of chapter five is difficult to discern. It talks about mazes, both physical and plotted, and also about interactivity, and the ability of game players to "author" parts of the story. The significance of emotional involvement is also hard to assess in chapter six. Part three looks at the procedural aspects of narrative, examining plot in chapter seven and character in chapter eight. While these provide interesting information on the generation of traditional stories via programming, they don't say much about new forms. (Besides, we already know that a computer can knock off a "Danielle Steele.") Part four tries to predict the future. Chapter nine posits a number of new forms, not very different from those already seen, and not very compelling in terms of the story "market." Finally Murray assures us in chapter ten that we will like the new literature, we really will. Returning to the original image of the Star Trek style holodeck, given the material that has been discussed, one wonders if the three dimensional and virtual reality aspects of the device can actually contribute to a narrative form, rather than being mere stylistic additions. After a moment's thought you realize that it *can* have an effect. If the user walks into a cocktail party and turns left, one set of people is encountered: turning right introduces a different set of characters into the experience. If the user is belligerent the individuals will react one way, if seductive, another. Of course, this massive database of potential experiences will require either a huge staff or a single author making his magnum opus a life's work, but that is merely an extension of the scale of movie making in the current day. Another of the fictional examples that Murray uses involves live actors playing different parts, and, in one scenario, has one character presented with the sleep of another as an opportunity to access confidential information. But what happens to the real person whose character is "sleeping?" Either the person involved is forced out of the game/story rather abruptly, or the character is thereafter being controlled by someone with more information than should actually be the case. These fairly simple possibilities, however, are not examined in the book. The analysis that the volume does give us is unconvincing and very facile. In chapter two, the historical perspective worked against the thesis of development of radically new narrative forms. The move from live storytelling to written works allowed specific stories to be arranged in a fixed comparison to each other. The printing press reduced the price of books to the point where a novel length work became realistic. Radio added sound effects to stories and reduced bridging narrative in order to recite stories faster. Movies allowed for rapid scene changes. But narrative has not changed in its essence. Yes, new computer aided entertainments are in their infancy. But while various computer, communications, and multimedia technologies may add similar frills, the book fails to convince the reader that any really new form of narrative will result. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1998
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Book description:

"[A] brilliant look at the future of storytelling." -- James Coates, Chicago Tribune "Hamlet on the Holodeck reaches beyond the scope of interactive narrative and encompasses the global possibilities of emerging technologies." -- Stan Diehl, BYTE Stories define how we think, play, and understand our lives. In this comprehensive and readable book--already a classic statement of the aesthetics of digital media, acclaimed by practitioners and theorists alike--Janet Murray shows how the computer is reshaping the stories we live by. Murray discusses the unique properties and pleasures of digital environments and connects them with the traditional satisfactions of narrative. She analyzes the dramatic satisfaction of participatory stories and considers what would be necessary to move interactive fiction from the formats of childish games and confusing labyrinths into a mature and compelling art form. Through a blend of imagination and techno-wizardry, Murray provides both readers and writers with a guide to the storytelling of the future. (cloth published by Free Press, 1997) More on Hamlet on the Holodeck