One of the closing comments Ebert makes in his article is "Do they require validation?" Critics of interactive narratives see authors of such works as juvenile, trying too hard, and attacking an established tradition that has stood the test of time. Validation implies a concession that something is wrong, that there is a need to rationalize a trivial hobby. Interactive narratives don't need validation, but recognition for the traits inherent to its form and how it informs the individuals that participate in its interactivity the culture and values. Through the feedback loop, participants use interactivity instead of passive reception to receive their experience from the narrative, augmenting an authored space to generate meaning personal to them and their particular journey. These perspectives not only recognize the medium for what it actually is, but leads the way in creating a new type of criticism and interpretation for it's innovative way of involving the individual.
