Examining the characteristics of these literary form, the number for each different form decreases.
Hyperfiction is:
- dependent on hypertext links.
- not necessarily dependent on print.
The hypertext link is essential to a story on the computer screen being hyperfiction. Without the programmed link, the reader could not pick and follow a path the author has written. The work determines to a certain point what happens on different paths. Some authors choose to tell the same story from different characters' viewpoints. Other authors let the reader choose the action (the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure influence). This would not be possible without a hypertext link.
The second characteristic expands the abilities of hyperfiction. More tellers
of stories are experimenting with the multimedia aspects that a computer offers
to create stories that can be interacted with and seen and heard. One has to
search for these hyperfiction stories, because marketing geniuses usually label
them as games. Myst is an excellent example of this variation of hyperfiction.
The reader or player is the main character of the story and determines the order
of the plot by their actions. Myst is a visual and auditorial experience and
thanks to its popularity, many more hyperfiction
stories will be structured in this fashion.