Whew! I'm nearly alive. I made it through the past few weeks with almost all of my appendages in their original shrink-wrapped packaging. Yay for living!

Anywho, apparently I'm not the only one who goes on benders unannounced only to return undaunted. The kind folks at Jellyvision have gifted their 15 year-old son "You Don't Know Jack" back into the world of gaming. More specifically, they lent us the "Dis or Dat" game filled with current event questions.

Ten years ago I found this series stunning. Interactivity in video games was limited to action-based titles (sports, adventure, FPS), but YDKJ was the first to nail clever human conversation. Within a few hours of play it began to feel that "Cookie", a virtual game show host, was really responding to your choices with precision wit. It made a low-tech quiz show feel more advanced then even many of the highest rated action fare available today.

Luckily, Jellyvision saw the potential for intelligent forms of user interaction above games. While they continued making the excellent YDKJ series on the side, their emphasis swung straight toward big businesses. By viewing their portfolio below you can see how beautifully this applies to many industries with surprising results. Traveling through their applications is simply a joy, and unlike the human-based systems we see in excess these programs respond with marketing approved wit and visual style.

These Jelly people have a great little White Paper about the dynamics of creating compelling interactive conversations which can be downloaded by clicking HERE. I suggest you check it out if this is your bag, and then promptly give them pockets full of money.

If enjoy the subject of interactive dialogue and multi-path narrative I also highly recommend the book Hamlet on the Holodeck by Janet H Murray. This MIT Press book takes a look at the future of this form from way-back when YDKJ was originally popular but she really nails where the art form was headed. It is enjoyable and optimistic read about the power of interactive fiction. (And the name is the worst part. It is all puppy dogs and first-kisses from the first page onwards.)