The problem of defining an interactive film: game or cinema

The article is devoted to the study of the problem of defining and classifying interactive cinema as a special media format in the modern digital space. The relevance of the research is conditioned by the rapid development of hybrid forms of media content, blurring the traditional boundaries between cinema and video games, as well as the lack of clear criteria for their theoretical classification. The research methodology is based on a comparative analysis of the characteristics of video games and cinema using M. McLuhan's theoretical concepts of ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ media, the ludological approach and narratological analysis. Interactive projects of Quantic Dream studio – ‘Fahrenheit’ and ‘Heavy Rain’, as well as examples of experimental formats in traditional cinema were used as the research material. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the attempt to distinguish interactive cinema as a separate type of media content; in the proposal of the concept of “hybrid media”, which combines the principles of visual narrative cinematography and interactivity, which allows us to classify new formats more precisely and to understand their features and possibilities more deeply. As a result of the research: the essential differences of interactive cinema from both traditional video games (the absence of classical game mechanics and progression systems) and cinematography (the presence of active user participation and variability of plot development) were revealed; the definition of a new category of “hybrid media” characterized by the combination of cinematic principles of visual narrative with elements of interactive interaction was proposed and substantiated; the specific position of the user in interactive cinema was analyzed, The results of the study contribute to the development of the theory of modern digital media and can be used for further study of hybrid forms of media content.

interactive cinema, hybrid media, video games, cinema, digital narrative, interactivity, gameplay, focalization, game, immersivity