A professional writer, television producer and avid reader, Tess will share her vision for how she wants to interact with VR as a writer, reader and viewer.
Frode Hegland, Dene Grigar, Tess Rafferty, Tom Haymes, Ken Perlin, Brandel Zachernuk, Mark Anderson, Rob Swigart, Peter Wasilko, Jonathan Finn, Fabien Benetou, Ayaskant Panigrahi, Jimmy Sixdof
AI: Summary
This Future of Text meeting featured a presentation by Tess Rafferty, a television writer and novelist who recently joined the group. Rafferty presented her vision for how VR technology could transform writing, reading, and viewing experiences. Her presentation was structured in three parts: Writer 1.0 (analyzing existing work), Writer 1.2 (future writing tools), and viewing experiences in VR. She proposed systems that could index and analyze writers’ bodies of work, provide immersive writing environments with visual aids and collaborative spaces, and create interactive viewing experiences where audiences could explore show worlds beyond linear narratives. The discussion that followed explored challenges around narrative control, reader agency, metadata requirements, and the technical feasibility of such systems.
AI: Speaker Summary
Frode Hegland served as moderator and provided extensive commentary throughout. He was particularly interested in the technical aspects of metadata in XR environments, emphasizing that XR inherently requires metadata for spatial positioning. He shared examples from his Author software and discussed concepts like progressive disclosure in glossaries. Hegland also contributed insights about Apple Vision Pro stereo video experiences and raised questions about narrative structures, time travel concepts in stories, and the balance between passive and active media consumption.
Tess Rafferty delivered the main presentation, introducing herself as a television writer and novelist new to the group. She outlined three vision areas: tools for analyzing existing writing work, enhanced writing environments in VR, and immersive viewing experiences. She emphasized solving practical problems writers face, such as tracking characters across multiple books and managing complex story elements. Rafferty was open to feedback but defended her ideas against concerns about removing reader agency, arguing that options could coexist with traditional reading methods.
Dene Grigar contributed expertise on VR storytelling and digital literature, identifying three key VR features: agency, interactivity, and immersion. She critiqued existing VR experiences for being too passive and shared examples of effective immersive storytelling. Grigar also challenged Janet Murray’s theories about non-trivial activity in interactive media, arguing that users adapt to complex interactions over time.
Tom Haymes raised important concerns about narrative flow and direction in immersive environments. He referenced Scott McCloud’s work on comics transitioning to digital media and warned about losing narrative framing when environments become too open. Haymes also shared practical concerns about accommodation logistics for upcoming conferences.
Ken Perlin brought perspective from NYU’s VR film work, noting the challenges of creating VR films without traditional cinematic tools like montage and framing. He observed that Rafferty’s vision seemed more aligned with solitary book reading experiences than communal movie watching. Perlin also made a humorous observation about the persistence of book metaphors in discussing new technologies.
Brandel Zachernuk contributed technical expertise and asked probing questions about the transition from writing tools to murder mystery games. He questioned whether authors would want all books to become movies and discussed the value of ambiguity in literature. Zachernuk also shared information about stereo video creation tools and costs.
Mark Anderson provided insights about AI note-taking tools and their limitations, emphasizing that AI systems need to create their own notes rather than relying on magical thinking. He raised important questions about reader agency and the trade-offs between adding richness and maintaining narrative flexibility. Anderson also contributed technical observations about security in shared virtual writing spaces.
Rob Swigart shared his perspective as a thriller writer working on his fourth book in a series, expressing interest in tools for remembering details across books. He discussed his experiments with Author software and shared philosophical thoughts about AI’s limitations. Swigart also connected the discussion to transportation modalities and how they influenced literary forms historically.
Peter Wasilko asked detailed technical questions about time management and chapter handling in multi-user VR environments. He shared relevant links including information about theme parks and world-building tools. Wasilko was particularly interested in how shared experiences would handle different users being at different points in narratives.
Jonathan Finn made philosophical points about the subjective nature of reading experiences and the importance of tracking reader consciousness states rather than objective story facts. He emphasized that any system should capture snapshots of the reader’s understanding at specific points rather than providing absolute character information that might include spoilers.
Fabien Benetou encouraged hands-on experimentation with physical prototypes before waiting for VR implementations. He emphasized the importance of testing ideas with available materials and getting feedback from VR developers about feasibility timelines. Benetou also shared technical links and observations about museum experiences and AI world-building efforts.
Ayaskant Panigrahi contributed through chat comments about interaction examples from VR games like Moss and detective games, sharing relevant video links and observations about directing user attention in VR environments.
Jimmy Sixdof participated primarily through chat, sharing links to relevant VR platforms and AI generation tools for 3D assets and environments.
AI: Topics Discussed
What was discussed regarding WebXR? WebXR was mentioned briefly by Fabien Benetou who shared a link to an escape room-ish experience at esc.art, but there was no extended discussion about WebXR specifically during the meeting.
Were other topics discussed? The meeting covered extensive ground including AI limitations in current writing tools, the history of interactive storytelling, challenges of narrative direction in VR, the importance of metadata for XR experiences, security considerations for shared virtual writing spaces, transportation metaphors in literature, theme park design, the difference between immersion and engagement, and technical feasibility of proposed VR writing systems.
Were there any interesting anecdotes? Several anecdotes emerged: Tess shared her experience trying Apple Vision Pro at a friend’s house and immediately seeing potential for her books; Tom mentioned having eaten at the restaurant Tess used as an example in her presentation; Rob discussed his editor pointing out plot inconsistencies in his latest book; Frode shared experiences visiting Hampton Court with audio guides and preferring simple text over bulky headphones; and multiple participants shared their first meaningful VR experiences, particularly with Tuscany demos.
AI: Concepts Introduced
Metadata as first-class citizen in XR – Frode Hegland defined this concept, explaining that XR inherently requires metadata because objects must have spatial positions, colors, and sizes, making metadata essential rather than optional.
Seed mapping – Tess Rafferty introduced this writing concept, describing it as a system for tracking where plot elements need to be planted or revealed in manuscripts, with different categories for mysteries, red herrings, and other story elements.
Progressive disclosure glossary – Frode Hegland mentioned this concept, suggesting that glossaries could reveal information based on how far a reader has progressed in a story, preventing spoilers while providing context.
Non-trivial vs trivial activity – Dene Grigar discussed Janet Murray’s theoretical framework about interactive media, arguing that Murray’s concerns about non-trivial activity breaking immersion have been proven wrong by gaming experiences.
AI: People Mentioned
Lucas (George Lucas) by Frode Hegland in context of Star Wars merchandising success, Scott McCloud by Tom Haymes regarding comics transitioning to digital media, Janet Murray by Dene Grigar in critique of interactive media theories, Orson Welles by Jonathan Finn regarding film adaptation of Kafka’s The Trial, Karl Schroeder by Tom Haymes as author recommendation, Alex McDowell by Tom Haymes regarding world-building strategies for Minority Report, Philip K Dick by Tom Haymes as original author of Minority Report story, Douglas Adams by Tom Haymes regarding Starship Titanic interactive experiments, Norman N. Holland by Rob Swigart as author of “The Dynamics of Literary Response”
AI: Product or Company Names Mentioned
Apple Vision Pro by multiple speakers as example VR headset, Kindle by Tess Rafferty as preferred reading platform, Netflix by Dene Grigar regarding Bandersnatch interactive content, Star Wars by Frode Hegland regarding merchandising success, Metallica by Frode Hegland regarding stereo video content, Author by Frode Hegland and Rob Swigart as writing software, Meta by Fabien Benetou regarding Horizon World platform, Half-life: Alyx by Fabien Benetou as VR game example, Baldur’s Gate 3 by Fabien Benetou as narrative choice example, DVD by Frode Hegland regarding historical media concepts, Acorn and BritBox by Tess Rafferty as streaming services, GTA by Tess Rafferty regarding virtual community features, Fantasia Archive by Peter Wasilko as world-building tool, Moss VR by Ayaskant Panigrahi as interaction example
AI: Other
The meeting demonstrated the interdisciplinary nature of the Future of Text group, with participants bringing perspectives from television writing, academic research, software development, and VR technology. Tess Rafferty’s integration into the group represents an expansion into entertainment industry applications. The discussion revealed ongoing tensions between preserving traditional narrative structures and embracing new interactive possibilities. Technical challenges around implementing proposed systems were acknowledged but not seen as insurmountable barriers.
Chat Log URLs
https://fantasiaarchive.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaQlmDtWrYE https://esc.art/ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18480166-to-hie-from-far-cilenia https://www.ted.com/talks/scott_mccloud_the_visual_magic_of_comics/transcript https://hyperfy.io/ https://www.skyboxai.net/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Named-entity_recognition https://observablehq.com/@spencermountain/topics-named-entity-recognition https://boardwalktimes.net/farewell-to-evermore-americas-most-eccentric-theme-park-a8338af1efea https://medium.com/@jakobweiner/transforming-an-immersive-story-world-into-physical-reality-878bc9524513 https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/alien-earth/immersive-content https://git.benetou.fr/utopiah/offline-octopus/issues/27 https://narrascope.org https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=NarraScope https://ideaspaces.net/unifinishedevolution/
Chat Log Summary
The chat log reveals active parallel discussions among participants. Key themes included sharing relevant tools and resources (Fantasia Archive for world-building, various VR experiences), technical observations about museum apps and AI implementation challenges, reactions to Tess’s presentation concepts, and broader philosophical questions about immersion, narrative control, and the evolution of media. Participants shared numerous links to relevant games, tools, and articles. The chat also captured lighter moments including jokes about Star Trek references and reactions to technical difficulties during the presentation. Several participants had to leave early for other commitments, and there were practical discussions about upcoming conference attendance and accommodation arrangements.