MICHAEL NASH & REBEKAH BERENDT - Immersing the User in an Interactive World Written by: Lourdes Alba Photos by: Nick Galante Digital cameras provided by Kodak Digital Science KALAPAKI BEACH, KAUAI, HAWAII 3 p.m. HST Friday, April 27

A presentation by Rebekah Berendt and Michael Nash of iNSCAPE, a Bay Area interactive game company noted for some of the most innovative developments in the interactive arena, opened the second day of "Storytelling for the New Millennium" conference.

Although Nash began his presentation by joking about competing with the appeal of a beautiful day on the island of Kauai, the audience was easily drawn into his rapid-fire oration about storytelling as a business. He addressed some of the issues currently associated with the industry: interactive games as valid business ventures, and the game as a valid part of American culture. He described the potential of the medium as an art form, viscerally immersing the user in a storytelling world. Narrative and navigation merge into a form of game play, and the user becomes a key element of the game, connecting and completing the storyline as he/she navigates through the game.

Nash demonstrated one of his earlier, popular titles, the Residents' "Bad Day on the Midway." The interactive CD-ROM contains "devious twists and a nearly inexhaustible range of gameplay," Nash commented. With a selection of oddball characters and bizarre backdrops, Nash described the game as a cross between Twin Peaks and SimCity, where the user's decisions set off chain reactions in a closed environment.

Berendt showed the audience samples of "The Dark Eye," one of iNSCAPE's current releases. The game's dark environments are divided evenly between narratives in a "malevolent world" and narratives that link together seven short stories by Edgar Allen Poe. She discussed the "persistence of atmosphere" through the piece, and likened the dynamic between the two sets of environments as similar to that between the waking world and the dream world. Users navigate from different character's points of view, and must look for portals to pass through from one narrative to another.

The "atmosphere" of both games was supported by a richness of texture, both visual and aural. Berendt pointed out that one of their objectives is to subvert the language of computers. Using custom- color palettes and hand-drawn images and music created specifically for the environments, the pieces are successful.

In looking to the future, Nash stated that innovations in the game arena will be decided by developments in science, aesthetics, collaborations, and marketing. He also speculated about the place of "art" in the culture of the future.

Berendt, senior art director, iNSCAPE, is responsible for the visual art components of 3-D and 2-D animation, as well as illustration, interface, graphic design, production, and staff and product management. Nash oversees the acquisition, development, publishing and marketing of all iNSCAPE titles as executive producer.