I had dinner Monday night with my friend, the CEO of Twelve Horses Interactive, Dave LaPlante. During the course of our conversation the subject of ‘Scripting’ came up. Scripting, we agreed, is one of the most egregious sins a businessperson operating in the Networked World can commit. LaPlante and I decided that from now on, a ’scripter’ is what we’ll call anyone with an Industrial Age mindset.

Scripting happens when a player tries to steer the outcome of a scene according to the narrative he or she has ‘written ahead of time’. A weak player (like the one in the video below) gets lost immediately when the way he has envisioned the scene goes poof with the first thing that comes out of his scene partner’s mouth. A player who scripts will try to control or dominate the narrative, dictating (and therefore diminishing) the roles and contributions of the other players. This seriously hampers a scene’s potential. It’s like trying to fly without wings. All thrust, no lift or direction. (more…)