12,659 research outputs found
Reservoir hill and audiences for online interactive drama
This paper analyses the interactive experiences constructed for users of the New Zealand online interactive drama Reservoir Hill (2009, 2010), focusing both on the nature and levels of engagement which the series provided to users and the difficulties of audience research into this kind of media content. The series itself provided tightly prescribed forms of interactivity across multiple platforms, allowing forms of engagement that were greatly appreciated by its audience overall but actively explored only by a small proportion of users. The responses from members of the Reservoir Hill audience suggests that online users themselves are still learning the nature of, and constraints on, their engagements with various forms of online interactive media. This paper also engages with issue of how interactivity itself is defined, the difficulties of both connecting with audience members and securing timely access to online data, and the challenges of undertaking collaborative research with media producers in order to gain access to user data
An analysis of persistent non-player characters in the first-person gaming genre 1998-2007: a case for the fusion of mechanics and diegetics
This paper describes the results of an analysis of persistent non-player characters (PNPCs) in the first-person gaming genre 1998-2007. Assessing the role, function, gameplay significance and representational characteristics of these critical important gameplay objects from over 34 major releases provides an important set of baseline data within which to situate further research. This kind of extensive, genre-wide analysis is under-represented in game studies, yet it represents a hugely important process in forming clear and robust illustrations of the medium to support understanding. Thus, I offer a fragment of this illustration, demonstrating that many of the cultural and diegetic qualities of PNPCs are a product of a self-assembling set of archetypes formed from gameplay requirements
Reconfiguring the twenty first-century reader : an analysis of interpretation and performance
This article discusses how contemporary technological trends and new media have reconfigured the reader into a multiplicity of roles, suggesting that a number of dualisms formerly associated with the act of reading are no longer valid. Notions of writing and reading, creation and interpretation have been adapted to new convergence models of textual production and reception, and whilst 'story' remains translatable across media, in the process of multiplatforming, various narrative techniques are used to create different levels of engagement with the text at each stage. The promise of the reader's much-celebrated creative authority at the turn of the century is problematised here through a discussion of distributed aesthetics and tele-theories of representation. Taking the fantasy genre as a case study, the contemporary influence of cultish trends, together with the effect of cybernetic communication dynamics on traditional genre stylistics and the fulfilment of narrative meaning, will be analysed as essential considerations in establishing which aspects of the traditional reader are translatable to a future that seems increasingly dependent on connectivity, interactivity and speed. The article will argue that, in a number of instances, the contemporary cultural scenario suggests that fulfilment of meaning is often successfully executed through strategies previously associated with the performative rather than the literary text, and will conclude that specific technological developments are responsible for this adaptation.peer-reviewe
Understanding Engagement within the Context of a Safety Critical Game
One of the most frequent arguments for deploying serious games is that they provide an engaging format for student learning. However, engagement is often equated with enjoyment, which may not be the most relevant conceptualization in safety-critical settings, such as law enforcement and healthcare. In these contexts, the term âseriousâ does not only relate to the non-entertainment purpose of the game but also the environment simulated by the game. In addition, a lack of engagement in a safety critical training setting can have serious ethical implications, leading to significant real-world impacts. However, evaluations of safety-critical games (SCGs) rarely provide an in-depth consideration of player experience. Thus, in relation to simulation game-based training, we are left without a clear understanding of what sort of experience players are having, what factors influence their engagement and how their engagement relates to learning. In order to address these issues, this paper reports on the mixed-method evaluation of a SCG that was developed to support police training. The findings indicate that engagement is supported by the experience situational relevance, due to the playerâs experience of real-world authenticity, targeted feedback mechanisms and learning challenges
Player agency in interactive narrative: audience, actor & author
The question motivating this review paper is, how can
computer-based interactive narrative be used as a constructivist learn-
ing activity? The paper proposes that player agency can be used to
link interactive narrative to learner agency in constructivist theory,
and to classify approaches to interactive narrative. The traditional
question driving research in interactive narrative is, âhow can an in-
teractive narrative deal with a high degree of player agency, while
maintaining a coherent and well-formed narrative?â This question
derives from an Aristotelian approach to interactive narrative that,
as the question shows, is inherently antagonistic to player agency.
Within this approach, player agency must be restricted and manip-
ulated to maintain the narrative. Two alternative approaches based
on Brechtâs Epic Theatre and Boalâs Theatre of the Oppressed are
reviewed. If a Boalian approach to interactive narrative is taken the
conflict between narrative and player agency dissolves. The question
that emerges from this approach is quite different from the traditional
question above, and presents a more useful approach to applying in-
teractive narrative as a constructivist learning activity
A Generative Model of Group Conversation
Conversations with non-player characters (NPCs) in games are typically
confined to dialogue between a human player and a virtual agent, where the
conversation is initiated and controlled by the player. To create richer, more
believable environments for players, we need conversational behavior to reflect
initiative on the part of the NPCs, including conversations that include
multiple NPCs who interact with one another as well as the player. We describe
a generative computational model of group conversation between agents, an
abstract simulation of discussion in a small group setting. We define
conversational interactions in terms of rules for turn taking and interruption,
as well as belief change, sentiment change, and emotional response, all of
which are dependent on agent personality, context, and relationships. We
evaluate our model using a parameterized expressive range analysis, observing
correlations between simulation parameters and features of the resulting
conversations. This analysis confirms, for example, that character
personalities will predict how often they speak, and that heterogeneous groups
of characters will generate more belief change.Comment: Accepted submission for the Workshop on Non-Player Characters and
Social Believability in Games at FDG 201
Emotion-driven interactive storytelling.
Interactive storytelling has attracted plenty of research interest in recent years. Most current interactive storytelling systems follow a goal-oriented approach to story representation, i.e. the user is engaged with the story through fulfilling a number of goals rather than empathising with the characters and experiencing anenriched emotional experience (Pizzi and Cavazza 2007). This fails to satisfy potential users who are oriented to traditional media, such as movies (Louchart et al. 2008) and demographic groups who are interested in attractive and challenging stories (Duh et al. 2010). Given this consideration, an emotion-driven interactive storytelling approach is proposed in this research.
In contrast to the goal-oriented interactive storytelling approach, emotion-driven interactive storytelling attempts to create an engaging emotional experience, and involve the userâs emotion with the characters. More importantly, the userâs emotions, evoked by empathising with the characters, determine the characterâs behaviours and therefore have an impact on the whole storyline. In this sense, emotions, as a driving force, directly and explicitly contribute to storytelling and the user experience.
An interactive video was made by re-editing existing TV material to interpret the concept of emotion-driven interactive storytelling. The examination of user experience of playing this interactive video revealed that non-gamers were more likely to be emotionally involved with the interactive video and empathise with the character. Participants in this group also exhibited higher enjoyment and engagement than gamers. In addition, females were found more likely to empathise with the character and satisfy with the storyline. However because the TV material used to make the interactive video was female-oriented, males failed to enjoy and engage themselves as much as females. But it is important to note that in comparison to malesâ previous experience of watching TV Ugly Betty, emotion-driven interactive storytelling increased their enjoyment and engagement. Therefore, emotion-driven interactive storytelling enriches the approach to developing interactive storytelling systems and has the potential to provide an engaging user experience to some types of users. Future research possibilities are discussed with respect to a wider population and research where materials suitable for both genders are presented
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