Emily Short is an interactive fiction (IF) author who has started writing some interesting things about games from a narrative perspective. IF grew out of and away from text adventures, which means that they’ve been grappling interactivity and narrative while everyone else has just been talking about it.

Over on GameSetWatch she has an article about the storytelling potential of games like Diner Dash and Miss Management. The article itself seems to meander a bit, but basically she seems to be saying that the intimate, moment-to-moment interaction with characters in these games can create a strong bond with the player, and that this bond is not being fully exploited in the narrative structure.