After going through this week’s reading, I realized how often the word “interactive” gets thrown around. Chris Crawford makes a sharp distinction between reaction and interaction. Just because something responds doesn’t mean it’s truly interactive. For him, strong interaction happens only when a system “listens, thinks, and responds thoughtfully,” like a real conversation. He emphasizes that true interaction requires both sides to be active participants. That stuck with me, especially since we often label anything that reacts to input as interactive, even when it’s really just one-sided. I liked how Crawford stripped the term down to something clear. It’s not about bells and whistles, it’s about actual communication.
Looking back at my own p5.js sketches, I was intentional about making them gamified because I wanted them to feel interactive, not just look interactive. I wanted them to look more like a game than a GIF because only by interacting with an artwork do you really get to sense what went behind it and what it stands for. I love the effect of something actually happening because of a user’s input. It gives users a sense of presence, like they’re not just observing but actively shaping what unfolds. That moment of response makes people feel like they’re part of the piece, not just pressing buttons on the outside. It’s rewarding for both the user and the creator, and it’s the kind of experience I want to keep building on. To me, interactivity is a back-and-forth communication.