- Myth: "Interactive story", an oxymoron?

Or, stories are passive and games interactive, so they don't mix.

How interactive are the following games:

- Let's see which one of us blinks first?
- Or which one of us smiles first?
- Or the children game "Statues"

Now  let's see how  people participate (interact) with stories

NOVELS

- People select novels
- Turn pages
- Skip boring parts
- Come back to re-read past pages to remember something or clarify
- Provide a physical appearance to characters
- Provide voices for the characters
- Provide all the details not described but important for them (consciously or unconsciously)
- Create meanings
- Draw genealogical charts to follow the story (E.g. Garcia Marques "One Hundred Years of Solitude")
- No to mention the old Choose your own adventure books, or novels such as Julio Cortazar's Rayuela.

MOVIES

- Choose movies, between different stories or different versions (uncensored, directors; cut, foreign vs. original version, etc.)
- Fill the gap between scenes (ellipsis)
- Block their eyes in horror movies.
- Rewind to repeat complicated dialogue (In rented movies or Tivo)
- Rewind to repeat cool FX scenes
- Stop the movie to discuss it with family and friends
- Talk to the characters (warn them about the danger ahead, scold them, etc.)
- Repeat movies to catch another angle of the story (Sixth Sense)
- Repeat dialogue they memorized (Extreme case Rocky Horror Picture Show)
- Surf channels
- Picture-in-picture
- Switch between two broadcasts of the same news event, because they want to hear two angles of the story.
- Create alternative scenarios of the actions, "If he would just tell her the truth!".
- Decide and discuss endings every time they encounter ambiguous endings.
- Provide meanings.
- Clap and cheer great movies or actions by the good guy
- Guess who the murder is
- Anticipate what is coming next

Objections and Myths:

Presents

Many names in the industry argue that stories and games do not mix, that they are completely different animals. This comes from the lack of deep understanding of how stories work. Stories have always been interactive. Interactivity is not about the number of times per second you click, it is about the active involvement of the audience's mind contributing to the experience they live.