Systematic Modeling of Stories and Role Development of Storyteller for Interactive Multimedia By Dinesh S. Katre Center for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) A Scientific Society under Ministry of Information Technology, Government of India, Agriculture College Campus, Near District Industries Centre, Shivaji Nagar, Pune 411005, India. Tel/Fax: 91+020+5533250 e-mail: dinesh@cdacindia.com ABSTRACT: The paper highlights the importance of Systematic Story Modeling, which is achievable through the collaborative efforts of Technical Author and Story Author. The approach to story modeling is detailed by elaborating three basic models such as defined, evolving and epicentric stories. Most of the interactive stories are either presented in the book like navigation format or like typical websites offering total access to information. In the first case there is absence of novelty in presentation and in the second case the soul of story, the experiential narrative, which is lost due to free access. User participation in the TV serials and remote control as an instrument of user empowerment is analyzed. Comparison between conventional storytelling and interactive storytelling is documented by assessing some examples, to bring out the essential characteristics of storytelling for incorporation in interactive presentations. The deliberations settle at giving selective control to both ‘user as navigator’ and ‘software as storyteller’ in interactive stories. KEYWORDS: Systematic Story Modeling, Defined / Evolving / Epicentric Stories, Interactivity, Role Development, Experience Design 1. INTRODUCTION: Storytelling is extremely important for children especially in the formative years. It’s a tradition that has been instrumental in transferring the human culture, wisdom, experiences of survival, dos and don’ts of life, values, sense of humor and poetic perspective, languages and sciences. There is a plethora of fables, mythical, mythological, historical, folk, parables and fictional stories but storyteller is the only inevitable element among all the forms of stories. Few decades ago, the stories were mainly disseminated through mouth of word during campfires and then through printed books. In the modern age, the major dissemination of this internal universe is happening through modern communication media like radio, television, audio, videotapes, films, multimedia CDs and Internet in addition to the printed books. The role of storyteller gets