Author’s Statement for Interactive Fiction
My goal for this interactive fiction was to take the player through a realistic version of what lawyers go through in defending clients. Every strategy decision we make has a direct relationship to outcomes, and I wanted to showcase this fact in a high stakes storyline. I chose a murder case so that the player would be involved in an interesting fiction, while also educating the player on the basics of the criminal legal process. The photographs, text, and story depict a fairly serious mood, but one in which hope and opportunity for favorable resolution are given at every stage.
When the ultimate decision of life or death rests with a jury, the importance of seemingly arbitrary decisions is highlighted. A murder trial is a process, so procedurally, my game had to follow a certain linear timeline common to that process. This gave a platform to the story but still allowed for the autonomy of the individual player.
To make strategic choices meaningful I gave the player opportunity to uncover significant facts to base decisions on at every major point, all of which affected the player’s options for future choices, and therefore, the outcome.
The agency of the player was limited to defined options, while still giving freedom as to which way the jury would go. The player could make meaningful choices, and also could affect the story outcome at many points in the fiction.
When I first had people play my beta version, their feedback was that I needed a more explanatory narrative, and also that it was sometimes hard to understand how well the player was doing at that moment. Using the quantifiable statistics embedded into the game, I added progress updates by way of a “jury favorability” rating and color changes to feedback in text format. In addition, I researched the correct legal processes in order to make choices as realistic as possible. The playtesters’ feedback was a valuable tool to take my beta version to 1.0, and I believe it reflects an interesting and educational interactive fiction.
Design Document
First Meeting:
You’re hired! A murder case in Dallas, Texas is your next case. A man was killed in a bar fight, and it is your job to defend the alleged murderer. He was arrested immediately after the killing. Your client has instructed you to enter a plea of not guilty. Other than that brief instruction, you have had no contact with him, but you must now defend your client to the best of your abilities, whether you personally believe he is guilty or not.
You walk up the county courthouse steps and go inside. The marble floors on the right lead to private meeting rooms where you will meet the defendant in person for the first time. As you walk into the room, you see a well-dressed man in his early to mid-thirties. He is clean-cut other than a five o’clock shadow. After introductions, you and the man sit down privately at the table facing each other and he sighs heavily. A packet of papers labeled “Evidence” sits on the table with your name on it. The DA is sharing what they’ve gathered thus far and are planning to use to prosecute your client.
Talk to him:
“So, tell me what happened,” you say with a positive voice, “and we can start to map out a game plan.”
“It’s all a bunch of bull,” he exclaims. “I didn’t start it, I wasn’t trying to kill the guy.”
“Was this a man you knew?” “Yes,” he responds, “he used to be one of my best friends…”
After speaking with the man for almost an hour, several things become clear to you. First, you believe that the man is telling the truth and that he is innocent of intentional murder. He did kill the man, but he did not mean to, and there are reasons to believe it was in self-defense. The man he killed was an old friend and had dated your client’s current girlfriend several years ago. It could be easy for a jury to assume motive given that fact. Your client and the man had a long friendship, but it was a complicated one.
Your client and the victim had been at the bar with your client’s current girlfriend and a fight broke out between the two men. Your client claims that with no provocation, the deceased tried to hit him with a broken beer bottle. This led to a bigger fight, in which the victim hit his head on a table and was killed instantly. There is no video or other digital evidence, but there were eyewitnesses. Keep in mind, it is not your job to “crack the case.” You believe your client, and his story, but for all intents and purposes it would not matter because your job is to make the state prove their charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Do not talk to him, examine evidence:
Reassure him:
“Don’t worry, we are going to figure all of this out. I’m going to do my best to defend you well.” The man notices your kindness. “Thank you, I really appreciate that. This has been one big nightmare.” TALK MORE LINK
Ask about his family:
“Is it just you or do you have family here with you?”
The man points over to the right, and his family is standing off to the side, looking in your direction. You wave at them and they walk over to the table. You notice his mother, and what looks to be his two sisters.
Choosing argument for trial:
You must choose how you will defend your client in court. Given the information you now know, what way do you think will work best? You will be able to go back and take another look at these after choosing a jury. Here is an overview of the different ways you can defend. Keep in mind what happened and the evidence on hand, and remember that you will need to pick a jury that will respond well to this line of argumentation.
Alibi: Defend your client based on the fact that he was not there, it was in fact someone else entirely in the bar that night.
Insanity: Defend your client based on the fact that he was temporarily or permanently insane and therefore cannot be held responsible for his actions in a court of law, and instead should be sent to a mental institution until he is healthy.
Suppression of evidence: Defend your client based on the prosecutor suppressing evidence and violating the 4th amendment (“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause…”) given his car was searched without a warrant and investigation materials were not shared with you.
Self Defense: Defend your client based on the fact that he was acting in self-defense, did not use excessive violence, and did not start or plan this altercation.
Guilty only of 2nd/3rd degree murder: Defend your client based on the fact that he did not commit 1st degree murder as he is being accused of, but a lesser degree of murder that does not include pre-determined altercations, clear attempt to take the man’s life, etc.
Choosing a Jury:
You must now choose a jury of your client’s peers to participate in the case. Keep in mind, you need to choose a jury that will side with your client, so be thoughtful when considering their political and socio-economic views, as well as their backgrounds. There are 3 pools of jury options, and you must choose one.
Liberal pool:
This pool is a particularly Liberal jury. They will make decisions based on their political and social views, so keep in mind Liberal views will affect their decisions and opinions.
Independent pool:
This pool is a particularly Independent jury. They do not lean to either side, conservative or liberal, but stay in the middle on most issues.
Conservative pool:
This pool is a particularly conservative jury. Their political and social views will affect their decisions and opinions, keep this in mind when selecting a jury.
Trial Evidence:
During the trial, you will need to submit evidence, including testimony of eyewitnesses, and friends of the victim and defendant. Explore what options you have available, and choose who you would like to bring to the stand, and what evidence you would like to use.
Side Option:
Look into the judge, find out which ways he leans and what he is like.
Look into him more, find out that he had a similar case a year ago.
Trial:
Before the trial begins, you need to decide who you will be calling to the stand for questioning. You know you do not want to question every person involved, and you have narrowed it down to three options for who to bring up. Choose one.
Defendant alone:
With the defendant alone on the stand, you will be able to ask him longer, more complicated questions without worrying about time. His side of the story can be stated clearly by him, and the judge and jury will know exactly what he thinks, and exactly what he says he experienced. You would be making sure there are not varying accounts of the story, at least through your witnesses. However, because you only have one person on the stand, there would not be much to work with, and you would be betting everything on your client’s credibility.
Only Eyewitnesses:
With only eyewitnesses on the stand, you will be able to build a clear picture of exactly what happened that night at the bar. However, often eyewitnesses in serious cases get their facts mixed up because of the weight and serious tone of what happened. Their stories could possibly intertwine or contradict each other, which would be detrimental to your case. That being said, they were there at the crime and their experiences could definitely shed some light on what happened.
Defendant and Girlfriend:
With the personal life of the defendant being called into question, because of the history between his girlfriend and the deceased, this combination on the stand will give the judge and jury a chance to witness the relationship between the two, as well as dive into the personal matters at hand. However, emotional topics can sometimes just complicate cases, and do not always positively affect those assessing their credibility.
Closing Arguments
Emotional Appeal:
You make your argument based on appealing to the judge and jury’s emotions.
State the Facts:
You make your argument based on being straightforward and stating facts in the case.
Aggressive:
You make your argument based on an aggressive approach, attacking the opposite side.
The Verdict.
Death Penalty: Your client has been found guilty of first degree murder that was pre-meditated, and has been sentenced by the judge to the death penalty.
Not Guilty: Your client has been found not guilty of the crimes he was accused of. He will walk free.
Guilty with Parole: Your client has been found guilty. However, the judge granted him parole after 2 years in prison.
Guilty of 2nd Degree Murder: Your client has been found guilty of 2nd degree murder and has been sentenced to years in prison.
Mistrial: The client’s girlfriend was found to have lied about a detail concerning the case. The judge declared a mistrial.
Response 5
Is immersion a core game virtue? – Ralph Koster
“Oh, people could be mesmerized, certainly, or in a state of flow whilst playing. But they were not immersed in the sense of being transported to another world. For that we had books.”
I thought that this quote was interesting, especially because it mentions books, which I think plays a big part in this discussion of “immersion.” Now that a lot of people no longer seem to read books, (not everyone but certainly some young people seem not to) does that affect those people’s attention span or sense of “immersion?” It seems like the more we go, the shorter the average attention span is.. What part do books play in this conversation?
In this website, Acer’s 35 inch, curved TV/Gaming Screen in reviewed. “Acer Deepens Gaming Immersion with a Curved 35-inch QHD G-Sync Monitor” With products like this, I tend to think that immersion still is a big part of the gaming experience.
This article by Fox Sports is detailing a high school student who competes in the MLG (major league of gaming) in Call of Duty the video game, spending hours a day doing so. I personally know several people who compete professionally or at least semi-professionally. It is becoming a big deal, and immersion seems like a key aspect of the game.
Response 4
These compiled tweets from Pixar Story Artist Emma Coats give us an idea of what its like to write as a Pixar writer does, adn the rules they have to keep in mind. These 2 tweets are interesting to me.
“#3: Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite
… #7: Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front”
Don’t these rules seem to contradict each other in a certain way? You won’t know what the story is about until you are at the end, but you need to come up with the end before you write the main part of the story?
This article by Time Magazine talks about how beloved Pixar movie Toy Story changed movie history. Interestingly enough, they had to create the hardware and equipment for this type of movie as they made it, because a movie like it had never been made before.
In a different article, we are given 5 interesting things that we “probably didn’t know about Pixar,” including the fact that George Lucas actually sold his share of it for 5 million dollars after the massive failure of Howard the Duck.
An Interview With Brandon Jenkins
Author’s Statement
I interviewed Brandon Jenkins on his move from college basketball to college high jump. According to the NCAA only about 2 percent of high school athletes get the chance to play in college at the next level. Like many athletes, Brandon had to balance athletics and academics, and choosing to attend a Junior College he has to sacrifice the “university experience” in order to play basketball. Transferring to Southwestern next year, he will have to opportunity to have a university experience and pursue his dream of high jumping in college. He tells us his story, from his high school days to his upcoming move, and tells us what he expects.
Response 3
In talking about the article, the author said ” Unfortunately, both the digital-watermark scanning software and the email programs that automatically send notice-and-takedown messages to service providers don’t distinguish between somebody who’s uploading the entirety of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (not protected speech) and someone who uses a minute and fifteen seconds of the series in a larger piece about the portrayal of women in science fiction.”
But how is this different? To me, it seems like these are both things that the makers of Battlestar Galactica would not want to be used. Why should we distinguish between the 2?
This article by Microsoft details how to keep digital content safe, which I think is important to think of in a personal way, not just in terms of movies or copyrighted material.
This website details the top 10 DVD-ripping softwares. This is how easy it is to steal material these days. Scary. Interesting note: there doesn’t seem to be a way for companies who make movies to take any steps toward protecting their material. There are no “DVD-unripping” websites.
Photo Story:
Author’s Statement:
Technology is constantly changing, making many old tools obsolete. Simple utensils such as pen and paper have given way to the laptop, the smartphone, the tablet, and more. This pencil, sitting is disuse on a pad of paper as a person works on a laptop computer beside it, decides to take matters into its own hands. Rolling off the paper, it first attempts to knock a glass of water onto the laptop. To its dismay, the water is simply wiped off by the user and the computer is fine.
Next, the pencil tries to wedge itself under the computer and knock it off of the table. Unfortunately for the pencil, the laptop is fine, and picked up to be placed on the table yet again. Finally, the pencil, accepting its defeat, decides that if it cannot beat technology, it may as well join them. It rolls over towards the computer and then a pencil “clip art” image appears on the screen.
Response 2: Radio
I think an interesting thought process is that in writing especially, plagiarism is often looked down upon and thought upon as extremely terrible. But what is the difference between imitation and plagiarism? Where is original thought respected and where is imitation considered flattery? Does something about painting or images, or even radio, make imitation different than in writing?
This article on tips for radio interviews is interesting. It gives insider tips on how to put yourself in the best position for radio interviews. Little things that most people wouldn’t think of, like “When you schedule the interview, make sure you have written down the call letters of the station,” and “Practice answering your questions. Put your answers on index cards. Don’t write complete sentences; use simple words to jog your memory.”
In sports, radio interviews can be important in advertising and making players more popular. In addition, well known athletes can open up to the public in certain ways. For example, in a 2015 radio interview, Lebron James opens up about his NBA finals loss.
Image Making Practice
