How does one tell a story? Oral recounting, of course, represents one format. Performance Art? Music? Poetry? All these forms of storytelling have one aspect in common – they constitute direct depictions of events and emotions of the author of the work, to be read and understood by an audience.
But more “indirect” forms of storytelling exist. These forms tell the story of an environment through clues and hints, making the audience participate in its articulation. These types force the reader to exercise creativity and become a detective - such stories rely on the induction of the player. These works aren’t read, watched, heard, or played – they’re experienced.
Perfect Example: The Jurassic Park ride at Universal Studios Los Angeles. Anyone who’s ridden on it knows exactly the meaning of this rant. Although the ride is most certainly a roller coaster (splashes, drops, etc.), the ride strives to be a much more memorable experience. Through voice clips, recreated scenery, and strategically placed items (ponchos, wires sparking, etc), the ride tells the story of a trip gone wrong through a theme park. After a dinosaur derails the ride and sends it off course, riders are nearly crushed by cars and pipes, squirted at, and directed into the Environmental Systems Building. Learning that the life support systems are failing, the ride narrowly escapes through the emergency evacuation exit, just as a T-Rex lunges at them.
The story in this ride is not “told” explicitly like it would be in any other medium. Instead the story happens, and It’s up to those on the ride to actually piece together the cohesive picture of the entire event.
It takes a special kind of storyteller to recount events indirectly - to create a sort of puzzle with clues and hints intended to be pieced together.
Rides With Plots:
Plot of the Jurassic Park Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic_Park:_The_Ride_(Universal_Studios_Hollywood)#Ride-through
Plot of the Revenge of the Mummy Ride at Universal Studios Florida
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenge_of_the_Mummy_(Universal_Studios_Florida)#Summary
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