Infinite Game Storytelling

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Learning about storytelling has been as equally fascinating to me as writing my first novel. I've only scratched the surface, learning, reading, watching, and absorbing, daily.

Narrative structure has been a key interest: just what makes us choose to continue a story, and follow its threads, compared to all the other things we would want to do in our life?

It's particularly in-depth, and you will see advice from across the spectrum: write a basic plot, plan ahead, don't plan ahead, listen to your characters instead, 3-act structure, kishotenketsu, hero's journey, monomyth, throw it all away, page 12 motivations, doors, objectives, confrontation, change, motivation, wants vs needs, arcs, internal vs external change, themes, motifs, plotters vs pantsers, write, rewrite, cut, show don't tell, characters happen to the world, the world happens to the characters, EVERYTHING.

A key theme I've wondered is the prevalence of the conflict narrative. As readers, we are interested in the narrative of change: a personal, individual journey where a set of actions sends a character down a path of discovery, conflict and eventual triumph. It's a compelling thread, because as readers we share this journey with the characters: we connect on a personal level.

It reminded me a lot of a quote, who's attribution I've lost, but paraphrased to: "All stories are essentially masquerading as lessons."

Stories were ways to share knowledge. Thus: conflict narratives hijack our brains to simulate conflict, and teaches us how to overcome change. This is evident from the absurd to everyday: lightsaber space wizards in a battle of good vs evil to class struggle in modern day South Korea.

Finite Storytelling vs Infinite Storytelling

James P. Carse describe finite and infinite games as:

"A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, and infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."

In the same vein: finite stories are written for the purpose of it beginning & ending. Infinite stories is written for the purpose of continuing the story.

Finite Game Stories are abundant: the series, movies, books, you normally read. From Avengers to Parasite to Harry Potter to War and Peace.

Infinite Stories are *new*: examples include SCP, Life of Norman, Have We Met, and to a lesser extent, games such as Animal Crossing.

SCP is a collaborative writing exercise where a foundation is tasked to secure, contain, and protect the world from anomalies. Life of Norman is a collaborative writing exercise about a truly unremarkable man, Norman. Have We Met is a collaborative writing exercise where people pretend they know each other in a fictional town.

I bundle conflict narratives into 'finite game' storytelling. It exists within a defined boundary: a film, a book. The characters in the finite game story often conform to a conflict narrative because as spectators (readers), we expect to see winners from this finite story. It's not necessarily a 'winner', as in a character conquering another, but 'winning' against the finite-ness of the story: there needs to be a triumph over stasis. Change needs to happen.

Spectators (readers) are happy with the 'finite game' story when it's clear that there are winners in the story: that some characters (players) triumphed over change (internal or external).

’Infinite Game’ storytelling is different in that the goal is to prevent it from ending, to keep the story in play. Rules are there to ensure that no winner arises and that the story can continue.

Similarly, the relationship to boundaries is different. Boundaries in finite storytelling keep the story going such that the winning occurs. Infinite stories play with boundaries themselves: the goal of which is to explore where the infinite story begins and ends.

A good example of finite boundaries in storytelling is the famous dramatic principle of Chekov's Gun.

"Chekhov's gun is a dramatic principle that states that every element in a story must be necessary, and irrelevant elements should be removed. Elements should not appear to make "false promises" by never coming into play."

If you show it to the reader, it should matter. Infinite stories on the other hand thrive on having elements where unnecessary things can become part of the expansion of the story.

These boundaries also extend to the reader. A finite story is a voluntary game, and so is a finite story. In order for it to be played, the reader accepts the responsibility to be escaped. They see the character, not the actress standing on the stage. Infinite storytelling is self-aware about the relationship of escapism between storyteller and listener.

An example, is an anomaly in SCP about the anomaly of the whole existence of the creative writing exercise itself.

Description: SCP-001 is the authors and contributors of the Foundation website responsible for the creation of content. In other words, SCP-001 is the userbase of the website. As one might think, there are no current means of containing SCP-001 without killing the entire known universe (on their end). Rather, containment is accomplished through suppression of information regarding SCP-001 through memory erasure and assassinations.

Finite and Infinite stories also deal differently with surprises (and plot twists). In finite stories, a plot twist is a way to end the story after a series of feints, and misdirections. A good example is murder mystery writing. The twist or revelation is the goal, it's the discovery, elucidation, and thus, end. Infinite stories, however, thrive on surprise, it's the reason for infinite stories to continue. In order for it to not end, it needs to continue to surprise, be novel, and push/play with its boundaries. New surprises might attract new players, and new writers. In Life of Norman, writers invented an equally mundane co-worker, Lisa, who went onto her own spinoff. The playing and story continues. A surprise keeps the story going.

If you've read James P. Carse's "Finite and Infinite Games", you can apply a lot of it to distinguishing between these forms of storytelling.

Finite stories are abundant. Infinite stories have all been accidents. They weren't entirely engineered, and their existence thrives on how well these infinite stories can attract collaborators. I want to delve into that a bit, and look specifically at SCP, since it is likely the largest example of such infinite storytelling.

Lessons from SCP

Rules are still important in infinite storytelling. Finite stories still exist in infinite stories. The rules define how to attract more players and keep the story going. A key component is to allow easy entry into collaboration. The cornerstone of SCP's success is the thousands of anomalies (5000+) that are structured into a reasonably, well-defined format that describes the anomaly and its containment procedures.

Whilst the universe has grown tremendously, it's still an easy thought exercise for new collaborators to add. Thus, I feel, a key factor in the success of infinite storytelling is to have clear outlines of graduated storytelling.

For example, in SCP it's:

Logs (one paragraph description) -> SCP (wiki page) -> Tales (short fiction) -> Canon (shared narratives).

Example Logs: http://www.scp-wiki.net/log-of-extranormal-events
Example SCP: http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1742
Example Tales: http://www.scp-wiki.net/true-trans-soul-rebel
Canon: http://www.scp-wiki.net/canon-hub

The core artefact of it is the wiki. There's a system of moderation and thus some rules do apply. But as with infinite games, it's not necessary. You can fork off. In fact, you see this with this infinite universe having developed different "Groups of Interest", like the Wanderers Library.

You'd be well served to apply rules like Ostrom's Commons management to infinite world storytelling.

As with Life of Norman, and Have We Met, the ability to add to the story is low: maybe a paragraph. And the community rewards novelty/surprise if it pushes the adjacent possible of the story. An alien invasion might be absurd in Life of Norman.

An interesting question is whether internet memes falls into these categories? I would say, yes, and no. Memes and meme reddits are perhaps, examples of flash infinite stories. A good meme graduates into a sub-reddit. It has the hallmarks of infinite storytelling:

- Surprise is rewarded.
- Tell stories to continue storytelling.
- Expanding players.
- Requires invention & re-invention to continue. (Dog Fort is practically no more. But StarterPacks thrives).

r/StarterPacks

What does Infinite Storytelling do that Finite Storytelling Does Not?

I think what's interesting to ask about infinite and finite storytelling is what it accomplishes. If stories are lessons, what are infinite stories about? EB White, I think explains it well.

“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”

Conflict narratives, finite storytelling, and its emphasis and triumph over stasis is our attempt to tell stories to save the world. Infinite storytelling, and its emphasis on novelty, surprise and continuation of play is our desire to tell stories to savour the world.

I find games like Animal Crossing interesting in that sense. The joy comes from feeling like you are a part of a community.

'Have We Met' is that in a direct sense. Playing at a fictional community. SCP is the community of the foundation, and the collective narrative of exploring the boundaries of reality: together. Life of Norman is the exploration of the stories of the mundane, anti-Chekov Guns.

In conclusion: James P. Carse describes it better than I can.

The finite play for life is serious; the infinite play of life is joyous. Infinite play resounds throughout with a kind of laughter. It is not laughter at others who come to an unexpected end, having thought they were going somewhere else. It is laughter WITH others with whom we have discovered that the end we thought were coming to has unexpectedly opened. We laugh not at what has surprisingly come to be impossible for others, but over what has surprisingly come to be possible with others.

The joyfulness of infinite play, its laughter, lies in learning to start something we cannot finish.

I hope we get to see more examples of infinite storytelling in the future that thrive on the level of SCP. What stories are waiting to be discovered and told, together?