I venture into interactive video

I had heard of interactive movies, usually of the type where an audience votes for which ending will be shown. Yesterday, a friend emailed me a link to one on the internet.

This held greater interest for me as there were decision trees along the way, providing more permutations. I blocked out some time to pursue this.

Having no exposure to this genre, I had few assumptions or expectations. However, there was a surprise right off the bat. I had thought that choices would be based on information provided in the scenario or at least implied. That was not the case in this one. The decisions were blind, based upon symbolism that revealed little or no information (at least none that I could discern).

For instance, I met a waitress working in a greasy spoon. She pulls out a box and tells me to select from among the three objects it contains. There’s a pen, miniature toy xylophone and spoon. What am I supposed to read into that?

I write, play musical instruments and eat. What are the implications here for my selection? I opt for the pen. The outcome is that the waitress takes it from me, writes her phone number on my wrist (or, that of the person playing me) and tells me to call her. Who saw that coming? Worst of all, I can’t see the number.

However, this shows promise, so I eagerly continue. Unfortunately, the tidal currents of the plot separate me from the comely little tart and I find myself in a doughnut shop. Not what I was shooting for, but an éclair isn’t a bad consolation prize.

Except, I am to be denied even that. The owner is no ordinary pastry peddler and I get swept up into his shenanigans via choices that have no apparent relevance to that. I am abducted at gunpoint, taken to an alley where I am beaten for information I do not possess. Wonderful.

Surely I can noodle my way out of this with some more intense evaluation of the forthcoming decisions. But, I go from bad to worse and wind up dodging bullets and shrapnel from a car bomb. Nice work.

I do escape the situation relatively unscathed but never manage to reconnect with the waitress. Or get rich, move to the south of France or anything else remotely like that. Where I wind up (and I suspect everyone does) is with the opportunity to order the product of the company that produced the video as a promotion tool. I decline.

Now, had the waitress come with it…