> A) select one example to outline the key concepts of the interactive narrative genre?

In my opinion, The Stanley Parable is a game to which can be a shining example of the key concepts of the interactive narrative. Though categorised on Steam as a ‘first person exploration game’ The Stanley Parable is one game that highlights its interactive narrative by having a narrator that says what Stanley (the player) is going to do and where they are going to go, the player can then choose whether or not to follow the Narrators, well, narrative. Your decisions as the player directly affect the narrative of the game as shown by the Narrators reaction to such choices and in some cases the Narrator trying to coax the player back into his own narrative or getting somewhat passive aggressive when you continue to ignore him.

With the players decisions come multiple endings to the game, roughly nineteen in total, all of which are dependent on what the player does during the game and at what points the player chooses to listen to or ignore the Narrator. There is an ending in which if the player obeys the Narrators every word, Stanley destroys the ‘Mind Control Facility’ whilst the Narrator talks about how Stanley is now free and can do whatever he wants. That ending is both clever and ironic in the context of games as although the player may have freedom to do what they want in games; the majority of players are still controlled by games and the narratives that drive them even in the interactive narrative genre.

> B) does the interactive narrative still have a role to play in video games today. Give exemplary examples?

In a word, yes. Interactive narratives and games with them still have a major role to play in the video games of today because giving players the ability to choose what they do can immerse them in the game more so than if they were just following one set narrative path. On top of that, giving the player choices with consequences and changes in plot points adds a replay ability factor to the game, the option to play through the story x number of times to see all the endings.

Gaming companies have taken on board the interactive narrative, modelling their games to give the players choices that directly affect the game and how the plot unravels. Titles such as Life Is Strange, Dream Daddy: A Daddy Dating Simulator and Until Dawn are three exemplary examples of how the interactive narrative is being still being used and used well in video games. All three employ multiple narrative arcs dependent on what the player chooses to say/do, each with consequences that appear later in the game or right after the choice has been made.

Life Is Strange has the most interesting use of the interactive narrative though as it also uses a time travel mechanic that allows the players to change some of their choices right after they’ve been made, seeing only the short-term consequences as an indicator for what their choice has resulted in. The games immense popularity and multiple game awards show that interactive narrative does still hold a place in the gaming industry.

Ried, M. Bulitko, V. Interactive Narrative: An Intelligent Systems Approach [pdf]  Available at: https://www.cc.gatech.edu/~riedl/pubs/aimag.pdf [Accessed 1 December 2017]
The Stanley Parable on Steam. Store.steampowered.com Available at:  http://store.steampowered.com/app/221910/The_Stanley_Parable/ [Accessed 1December 2017]
Endings. The Stanley Parable WIki  Available at: http://thestanleyparable.wikia.com/wiki/Endings {Accessed 1 December 2017]