________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

IF Art Show 2000 Rules
_________________________________________________________________

IF Art Show 2000 (Juried)
(or How to Build a Better Mouse Trap)

> You have entered a hushed art gallery with grey walls and subdued
lighting, except for the bright spotlights aimed at pictures and various
pedestals around the room. At first the raised displays look like ordinary
sculpture, but then you notice the intriguing "Flash Gordon" ray gun in the
center. You glimpse lights flashing, hear rustling and discover even more
unusual forms: a Cubist futuristic booth and what appears to be an outdoor
setting, complete with storm clouds rolling over wind tossed trees. It is
only when you spot the burly man in the flannel shirt chopping wood that you
fully realize that this is sculpture unlike any you have imagined before.

These 3-dimensional displays are IF sculptures, modeled with text.
_________________________________________________________________

Purpose:

To explore the I in IF, the Interactivity * of Interactive-Fiction
(without the obscuring framework of too much structure). To run one's hands
over an "IF sculpture", TO EXPERIENCE INTERACTIVITY AS A MEDIUM. In summary,
this exploration is intended to be two-sided: for you to explore the various
ways you can engage/involve the player to explore in turn.

* 3-dimensionality, experiential aspect, simulation or virtual reality
capability, tangibility, both descriptive and responsive depth, effectively
communicated sensory feedback (kinetic/auditory/visual, etc.).
_________________________________________________________________

Panel of Judges:
Sam Barlow (Aisle), Ian Finley (Babel, Exhibition), Mike Roberts
(TADS, The Plant), Dan Schmidt (For A Change), and Lucian P. Smith (Edifice)
_________________________________________________________________

This is a juried art show. Juried shows are judged BEFORE the
entries are shown to the public. Only the top four places are
awarded. All other entries are not ranked, but are put on display.

Best of Show

Any category for which there are three or more entries will also have
a best of category award.

Best of Still Lifes (Objects)
Best of Landscapes (Scenery/Rooms)
Best of Portraits (NPCs)
_________________________________________________________________

Rules:

1. No graphics, sound files or ASCII art.

2. All entries must be original works. However, they may be taken
from an unreleased work in progress. Plagiarism is frowned on.

3. "Playable" in less than 45 minutes. Shorter is usually better.

4. To make your exploration easier, and to isolate your entry on a
pedestal and/or put it into an artistic "frame", choose one of the
following:

Still Life - Object
Landscape - Scenery
Portrait - NPC

There is no maximum limit on number of items per category, but
fewer is better.

Other types of items (inventory objects, stationary objects,
locations) may be present to help support the selected category
(except interactive NPCs, which are solely for portraiture). To keep
your entry short and your focus tight, it is best for supporting items
to be limited in number and "sketchy."

Remember: Judges will focus on how you present and explore your
choice, not on "background." So you will do yourself a favor if you
avoid wasting time on extra items. An excellent entry might have none
at all.

You will need to specify which category (Object, Scenery, NPC) you
are entering.

5. Minimal plot and a restrained use of puzzles.

Plot
No overriding, compelling, "world saving" goal that
hurries players on, encouraging them to bypass
experiences.

Introduction
Minimal or optional; to set the stage and
provide players with some motivation to explore.

Middle
Experiential.

Scoring
Optional; a "task achieved" score, to give players
an idea of when they have explored as much as
possible.

Ending
Minimal or optional; a finish to give players
closure.

Puzzles
Absolutely no "brain twisters". If players need to figure
out an object/conversation, guide them to the appropriate
action/topic with subtle hints (not too subtle) in
descriptions/responses.

Complicated Puzzles
It is recommended that complicated/very complicated
puzzles be made optional, so players need not solve
them to finish. Or provide a graceful exit (other
than quit) in case they are unable to finish.

Remember: The entry with the cleverest puzzle(s) will not be an
automatic winner, judges will be looking for a complete exploration of
interactivity. For instance, a realistic piece should probably implement a fair
number of verbs in order to avoid too many standard library responses.

>>> Stumping the player is not the goal. Encouraging exploration is. <<<

6. It has been suggested the IF Art Show have a theme each time. If
you need something to further focus your creative energies, envision the
future. An invention (Object), futuristic location (Scenery), or
human/animal scientific/social development (NPC) that will occur in the
new millennium. But because I am still of two minds about a theme, it is
not required and theme entries will be given no preference.

7. All entries will be displayed at the IF Art Gallery for a two-week
show.

8. The deadline is Friday, March 24th, at midnight EDT (Eastern
Daylight Savings Time -- four a.m. Saturday, March 25th GMT).
Email your entry in a zipped file to [email protected].

9. Past IF Art Show entries and my "Visualizing" now function as
IF Art examples. To see how others have defined "IF Art" simply
download them.
_________________________________________________________________

Comments:

1. Is This IF Art?

Any exhibit/piece that fits into the above parameters is IF Art.
There is no one "set" way to do it or view it.

2. Do I need to use a pseudonym?

You may use one, but anonymity is not required.

3. Who Should Enter?

I, personally, hope experienced IF writers enter because I think
this is a different, freeing approach to writing IF. But newbies, and
those who feel they will never write a full-blown game because of the
necessity of having to create a plot and/or clever puzzles, are
especially encouraged to enter. To help us all explore the IF medium.

4. What is art?

The use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic
objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with
others. The term art may also designate one of a number of modes of
expression conventionally categorized by the medium utilized or the form
of the product; thus we speak of painting, sculpture, film making, music,
dance, literature, and many other modes of aesthetic expression as arts
and of all of them collectively as the arts. The term art may further be
employed in order to distinguish a particular object, environment,
or experience as an instance of aesthetic expression, allowing us to
say, for example, that a drawing or tapestry is art...
Encyclopedia Britannica

5. On "Art & Originality":

Don't feel required to be completely original. To quote Picasso,
"Good art borrows; great art steals." Quoting Luc "Virgin Idea"
French, "A distinction must be made between 'stealing' and outright
plagiarism.

One involves merely borrowing ideas; the other involves copying
your ideas from one source. If you're going to steal, do it in the
grand tradition of great art, take from as many people as possible."
_________________________________________________________________

Thank you to Ross Presser for his suggestion about a "graceful exit",
and Volker Blasius for contributing a definition of art.

"The medium is the message." Marshall McLuhan,
Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man
_________________________________________________________________