History Main / Fakeinteractivity

* The TV show watched by Millie ''Literature/{{Fahrenheit 451}}'' has the protagonist's wife Millie, who is utterly obsessed with her TV Room. Not a room containing a TV, mind you; a room where nearly all the walls ''are'' televisions. Her favorite show (and many others, no doubt) has the gimmick of mailing episode's script a few days ahead of time, letting viewers memorize their lines. During the show, a light in the corner of the screen indicates when the viewer is supposed to speak. All Millie thinks about are the characters of the show, and she even demands that her husband replace the final wall of the room with a fourth TV so she can feel more immersed. NoFourthWall, [[StealthPun indeed]]. \\

* The TV show watched by Millie in the film version of ''Literature/{{Fahrenheit 451}}'' does something similar to this, with the characters concluding that the unseen third character (played by the viewer) is absolutely right.
** This was in the book as well, to the point where all Millie thinks about are the characters of the show and demands that her husband buy another TV wall, so she can feel more immersed. Basically, the show mails the episode's script a few days ahead of time, letting viewers memorize their lines. The light in the corner of the screen indicates when the viewer is supposed to speak.

Not to be confused with the audience shouting at TooDumbToLive characters.

* Inverted in one ''WebComic/{{Homestuck}}'' panel. ''Homestuck'' actually is frequently interactive, with Flash animations and game segments, but once trolled the readers by displaying a very convincing loading screen, followed by: "You waste no more than 90 seconds on this before realizing that it's actually a .gif and the real flash is on the next page."

[[caption-width-right:350:And you thought this was a real video, right?[[labelnote:*]][[/labelnote]]]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/non-interactivity_5395.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:And you thought this was a real video, right?[[labelnote:*]]The fact that [[Administrivia/RenamedTropes it has the old name]] should have been a dead giveaway...[[/labelnote]]]]

[-''[=*=]{{Beat}}*''-]

(Oh, right, [[SelfDemonstratingArticle wiki pages aren't interactive media;]] we have no idea what your mental response was going to be so we'll just have to pretend you said something relevant to the question.)

* ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'' both try to talk to the five year-olds watching the show. In a truly hilarious bit, Drake is warmly received by his audience and given a plate of cookies through the fourth wall, while [[ButtMonkey Josh]] is both insulted and spit upon.

[[caption-width-right:350:And you thought this was a real video, right?[[labelnote:*]]The fact that [[RenamedTropes it has the old name]] should have been a dead giveaway...[[/labelnote]]]]

** When the BBC moved to TV, it became ''Watch With Mother''. Fifty-odd years later, the show inspired the villainous "Wire" in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "The Idiot's Lantern." Non-interactivity isn't a bad thing.

* French animated TV series ''{{Didou}}'' (known as Louie in the UK and Australia) plays this trope straight.

* This was used in ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'', though the well-remembered "Can you say X" example [[BeamMeUpScotty never actually happened]].[[note]]It did happen, actually, though only once. In a very early episode, Mister Rogers says "Can you say that? Pentagon?" after holding up a pentagon to the audience.[[/note]]

** When the BBC moved to TV, it became ''Watch With Mother''. Fifty-odd years later, the show inspired the villainous "Wire" in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "The Idiot's Lantern." [[NightmareFuel Non-interactivity isn't a bad thing]].

** This actually originated, at least for Pooh, from "Welcome To Pooh Corner", where the characters ask a question, then it shows clips of children answering, or in the NightmareFuel episode TooSmartForStrangers, what to do near a stranger. ''[[Series/BearInTheBigBlueHouse Bear in the Big Blue House]]'' used this method as well.

'''Tape:''' Ou est la plume de mon oncle?

'''Student:''' ''[bored]'' Il est bingy-bongy-dingy-dangy.\\
'''Tape:''' ''[affronted]'' Non! Le plume de ma tante n'est '''pas''' bingy-bongy-dingy-dangy! ''Qu'est-ce que vous avez dites?''

Shows with Fake Interactivity have NoFourthWall.

[[AC: Theatre]]
* OlderThanTheyThink - this is a time-honored technique in pantomime theatre.

When this trope is being used in an [[ShowWithinAShow in-universe show]], it could involve TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat.

Shows with Non-Interactivity have NoFourthWall.

[[caption-width-right:350:And you thought this was a real video, right?]]

[[FourthWallGreeting Hi, Fellow Troper]]! Do you want to hear about the Fake Interactivity trope?

::''[[SelfDemonstratingArticle stares at viewer for 5 seconds]]''

:::...

GREAT!

Fake Interactivity is what happens when a work fakes being interactive like a game. Often happens in shows aimed at children.

::''[[{{Beat}} stares at viewer for 5 seconds]]''

:::...

Yeah! I think so too!

Sometimes, the show will include voices, supposedly those of other kids watching the same show, giving the "right" answers.

When this trope is being used in a show-within-a-show, it could involve TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat.

Would you like to see some examples now?

::''stares at viewer for 5 seconds''

:::...

You would? Then let's go!

----
Boy, we sure had fun today, didn't we, Fellow Troper?

::''[[TheStinger stares at viewer for 5 seconds]]''

:::...

Yeah! I knew we did!

Writing preschool television is tricky -- the youngsters have a limited understanding of the world, and a limited attention span. Fake Interactivity solves the problem thusly: since your audience is under the age of five, let's make them think they're playing a game! Isn't that great?

Some educators like this format because it helps the kids feel like part of the show and that they've accomplished something. Others dislike it, since the child's action has no real bearing on the plot at all, unlike in an actual game.

* {{Subverted|Trope}} in ''Series/{{Angel}}'' , which had a fairly dark take on this in the "Smile Time" episode. Puppet demons hosted their own show and used it to steal the souls of little kids. In TheTeaser, a kid was watching the show and as the mom walked out of the room, the lead puppet watched her walk away and then talked straight to the kid. This looks like normal NonInteractivity until [[spoiler:that particular kid, and no one else so far, loses his soul]].

[[redirect:NonInteractivity]]