I chose Myst for several reasons. It is the landmark CD-ROM that first gave us a glimpse of what a hypermedia CD-ROM is capable. It is illustrates the best in CD-ROM storytelling. It shows how “image, sound and narrative [are] woven into a new form of experience” of storytelling (Miles, 4). Also, it is one of the best contemporary examples of a cross media story that progresses across several media.
Now, let me describe the cross media phenomenon of the Myst story grand. Myst is an award-winning “immersive environment” that occurs on a CD-ROM, but the story grand progresses and continues in several books and web sites with hints and clues (to help you get through the CD-ROMs if you get stuck), a subsequent trilogy of novels, a comic book and a short webcomic, as well as further CD-ROMs with immersive environments, Riven, Myst III, Myst IV, Uru (online and then CD-ROM) and Myst V (hailed as the final Myst game). Also, at one point, a theme park and movie were discussed, but have yet to move forward and look to be permanently stalled (so I am not sure how these would have added to the narrative) (Carroll, “(D)Riven” 3). Exploring how the narrative of Myst has developed over multiple media will allow me to pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of the media involved in the narrative. Also, I will be able to use Myst as a window into the theoretical issues of narrative, multiple media, structure and process, and come out the door with an idea of how they might be applied to better tell stories in general and also be used to help improve the academic endeavor and the classroom environment.