"Now I believe that these variables provide only part of the picture. There is another, more rudimentary measure of interactivity: You either feel yourself to be participating in the ongoing action of the representaion or you don't." 5

Which may lead us to consider why we want the experience to be interactive; is it a teaching experience; is it entertainment; are we trying to recreate the world; are we trying to create an experience which is out of this world?

I think there may be many applications for using narrative and interactivity but no universal answer on how to do it. Until specific models/examples are created I don't think we are going to get a good enough handle on the class or group of issues we have to deal with, in order to even start theorizing about a universal answer.

Laurel also talks about two common modes which the user applies to working with computers. One is browsing - in this mode the user is open to the computer taking control, making suggestions. The other is focused, the user knows what she wants to do and doesn't want cute computer tricks getting in the way. This reminds me of Backes distinction between game-playing and following a narrative.

Laurel sees the user switching between modes - perhaps this concept will be useful.