Heavy Industries, Light-hearted Stories

Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries presents short stories through quick-flashing words. These stories rely on your reflexes and memory in order to remember the sequence of events presented to you. The more you remember, the better grasp of the story you have.

One story in particular, Dakota, focuses on a group of friends who drink heavily and then go on a long drive. As the story goes on, the people begin hallucinating and imagining people that aren't really there, such as Elvis Presley. The effect of the alcohol kicking in is portrayed through the use of heavy drums and random car noises, and the idea that the car is flying around turns and hazardously going down the road is evident.

Although I acknowledge that there is value in this form of storytelling in the literary world, I found the random flashes to be rather annoying and off-putting, rather than immersive and engaging as electronic literature should be. It's like watching somebody present a slideshow as fast as possible without really explaining their point. You find yourself asking "What did I just see? Why am I here?" An immersive experience would take you into it, not turn you away. Dakota and the other stories presented here would, I believe, serve just the same purpose if they were written on paper. Perhaps a paper version would be easier to comprehend in this instance.