I definitely thought that using Google Maps as a medium for storytelling was an interesting choice. It behaved like an interactive fiction in a way, even though the reader really couldn’t directly effect the direction of the story aside from perhaps exiting the site before finishing. Yes, you could jump ahead five chapters and the story, but that would have really defeated the purpose. Why jump ahead at the expense of the backstory? It’s certainly an idea I’ve kicked around for the final project, but I’m not quite sure I could tell a story that would be as engrossing as this one.
I found the visual element of 21 Steps engrossing. The bird’s eye view allowed me to see really everything that was situated around this man, which is something a first person view simply can’t provide. I also thought the snaking of the line through the map as the main character meandered his way through life was neat. Instead of just jumping from place to place, I got to see the path or progress of the character, which really made me feel like more of a part of the story than I might have otherwise.