Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace
"Narrative in cyberspace" included in the subtitle of Janet Murray's book, refers to the importance and characteristics of narrative in New Media.
Link to a review of the book, HERE.
Student work:
Julia San Negret on Media Narratives, HERE
Brita Suopanki on the Future of Narrative in Cyberspace,HERE
Sachi Swick interactive project in Janet Murrays thesis, HERE
Pernilla Ojergren
on the Gaming medium through Time, HERE
In my opinion, one of her most interesting ideas in this chapter is "the dangers of new technologies" or how literature has interpreted a future embedded in new technologies.
This thought develops into the distinction between Utopian and Distopian views of technology. It is not surprising to see how much most people have irrational fears about technologies, since we have been exposed to those ideas through Novels, Films and television.
When analyzing her example of the Holodeck as a portrait of both the possibilities of technology and the implementation of a narrative (a story), I would highlight her analysis on the moral option or the capacity of choice.
When the user's choice in gaming in well threaded with a narrative the moral choices appear naturally. We humans have favoured story telling for millions of years because it allows us to explore options (moral choices) and to experience the possibilities and consequences of other life without the real involvement.
JOSEPH CAMPBEL
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A very important author in comparative Mythology and an amazingly knowledgeable and wise person. Author and lecturer, he was a follower of Carl Jung's ideas on collective unconscious.
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"The Hero with a thousand faces".
"The Power of Myth". A book and a six part television documentary in collaboration with journalist Bill Moyers. First broadcasting in PBS in 1988.
In wikipedia, HERE
WATCH a video on the documentary "the Power of myth.
Links change all the time but here you have some of the latest:
Youtube, playlist. Contains most of the video-excerbs pointed below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGx4IlppSgU&list=PLePFb3rlFbw4G1aPfn-9HIH5epz0vFXKq
Remember Campbel was George Lucas' mentor
http://video.pbs.org/video/2201676017/
YouTube, Myth as a mirror of the Ego http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VgOUxICCHoA#!
YouTube,On becoming an adult
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGx4IlppSgU
How our Western tradition has changed the notions In the "Dynamic of Life"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfKOnj0gPCw&list=PLePFb3rlFbw4G1aPfn-9HIH5epz0vFXKq&index=13
YouTube,the birth of Mathematical Mythologies,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnPix6cunzo
YouTube, Mythology of the first citi-states, 10,000BC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwPh4dHDmx0
Out of his extensive cross cultural studies he extracted the bone-structure or different necessary steps in the adventure-story of the hero, present in every human mythology and most live-changing dreams. His study on teh path of the hero is extensive, with branches in morality and personal motivation and realization.
Campbell highly influenced George Lukas in the plot of Star Wars and after the immense success of this to Hollywood script-writers and current movies with Epic adventure themes.
The Mythology of Star Wars with George Lucas and Bill Moyers In YouTube
Link to a good final project on the author, HERE
My presentation on archetypes through old numerology and tarot cards.HERE
Link to a PBS documentary on Budha. Beautiful animations and explanations of archetypes in this myth. Great contributions of psychiatrists, poets and budhists explaining the mean or ramifications of this Universally miningful myth.
http://video.pbs.org/video/1461557530/
More on Buddha, on a BBC documentary. This documentary is more oriented towards an explanation of a religion and a biographical follow up of the hero.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeQoeNH70fk&feature=related
Author Christopher Vogler has written a book called "The Writer's journey" describing and analyzing the structure of the Hero's adventure in movies.
I have found a youtube movie of him talking about his work in classic storytelling with the imagery/storyline of the MATRIX.
Link below,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AG4rlGkCRU
"The Writer's journey" .
Recap the Hero's journey:
- Heroes are introduced in the ORDINARY WORLD, where
- they receive the CALL TO ADVENTURE.
- They are RELUCTANT at first or REFUSE THE CALL, but
- are encouraged by a MENTOR to
- CROSS THE FIRST THRESHOLD and enter the Special World, where
- they encounter TESTS, ALLIES, AND ENEMIES.
- They APPROACH THE INMOST CAVE, crossing a second threshold
- where they endure the ORDEAL.
- They take possession of their REWARD and
- are pursued on THE ROAD BACK to the Ordinary World.
- They cross the third threshold, experience a RESURRECTION, and are transformed by the experience.
- They RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR, a boon or treasure to benefit the Ordinary World.
Link to the page with a long explanation of each step, HERE
Link to a word document with the text for the 12 steps in the Hero's journey, HERE.
Spectacular Final project presentation about the Monomyth/Hero's journey in Gaming using the Playstation award wining game "Journey". Sivan Rachmany, HERE
To see examples of the structure applied to movies click on the links to those student presentations:
John Devaughn on "10,000 BC",HERE.
Robert Wetterling on "How to train a dragon", HERE.
Anton Lernstal on "Wall-e", HERE.
One contemporary example of how you can carry knowledge and information in a Mythological format is the movie The MATRIX, from the Wachowski (Lana and Andy) brothers.
They are writters, thinkers are media producers (comics, games, movies)very involved in underground subcultures and as such related to a movement called Cyber Punk .
For its criterion release, an amazing documentary on the Phylosophical ideas presented in the Matrix was produced, Interviewing young Phylosophy and Religious studies professors.
The name of the documentary is "Return to the Source, Philosophy and the Matrix".
It is difficult to find it online in its complete format. I am adding the latest link I have found on the right of the page
This documentary is absolutuely priceless in what can bring to you.
Possible links for the documentary:
Very short fragment on places where phylosophy is coming out in the movie In vimeo
Phylosophy teachers are specifying what phylosofical ideas are being portrayed: In Vimeo
A look at the second part of the trilogy, on Free will and returning to the source, by Film Radar, in Vimeo
Pay attention to Cornell West, (PHD in Philosophy from Princeton university, black man first talking in the actor's room). Professor of Religion and African American studies.
See excerb of movie and his comments on 15:15.
Look also for Peter B Lloyd, British software consultant, writer and phylosopher.
(3:20) what you know. methods of knowing (religion, science, philosophy)
(4:30) Critical reason in Phylosophy.
(7:00) Celebration of the Geeks!
(9:30) Movie as Jazz mythology (10)
You can get a surprising review of Western philosophers:
Socrates (15:40) Recognizing the limit of our knowledge
Plato (16:28) Allegory of the Cave
, the only reality they have ever known.
Metaphysics (17:54)
Rener Descartes (18:20) "Cogito ergo Sum". Affirmation of the thinker at the core. We are the subjects. "The Evil thinker ".
Berkeley (20:12), against Issac Newton. Reality=Appaereance. No world outside of our ideas.
Emmanuel Kant (21:44) The structures of our mind define reality.
F Nietzsche (23:00) Break with the Herd mentality. Interesting blend of West_East mentality.
Allan Watts lecturing on gaming in the context of Mythology. The figure of the Joker (the fool in the Tarot)
"The Million masks of God". Audio lecture with "decorative images"
Jane MGonigal presenting her work at the "Institute for the Future" at TED.com
An Epic win.
Collaborative online environments.
"The 10,000 hours theory of success"
500 million people gamers. One billion more by next decade.
A mass exodous to online games and virtual environments.
We are using games
to scape real world suffering.
Positive aspects of gaming= Gaming as a world resource
Urgent Optimism (desire and activity towards an Epic Win)
Creation of a tight Social Frabric (Bonds, Trust, relations)
Blissful Productivity (happier working hard than relaxing)
Epic Meaning
(dedication, Motivation, Unlimited effort)
Relationship between Real and Virtual Worlds by spychological human attitude.