Triangle of identities

A term invented by Graham Nelson to describe the nature of a player's interaction with a game:

'There are at least three identities involved in play: the person typing and reading ("player"), the main character within the story ("protagonist"), and the voice speaking about what this character sees and feels ("narrator"). There is a triangle of relationships between them, and it's a triangle with very different proportions in different games.'

— Graham Nelson, The Inform Designer's Manual, Fourth Edition, p.368

There is some discussion of the 'different proportions' in the glossary entries linked above, and a more detailed exploration in Nelson's article.

Games

The following games subvert the triangle of identities or present it in unusual ways:

• Bellclap (Tommy Herbert; 2004; Z-code).
• Fail-Safe (Jon Ingold; 2000; Z-code 5).
• LASH (Paul O'Brian; 2000; Z-code 8).
• The Milk of Paradise (Josh Graboff; 2009; Z-code).
• Pantomime (Robb Sherwin; 2006; Hugo 3.1).