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, ‘how can an in- teractive narrative deal with a high degree of player agency, while maintaining a coherent and well-formed narrative?’ 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 Brecht’s Epic Theatre and Boal’s 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

Unveiling New Realms: Enhancing Procedural Narrative Generation and NPC Personalization using AI

A System Design Framework used to train GPT - based agents can significantly help improve current Procedural Narrative and Character (NPC) Personality Generation Models in games. This approach can lead to a Richer Gameplay Experience that allows players to craft their own Personalized and Unique stories

Narrative forms of action and the dangers of ‘derivations’ in narratology

This article attempts to define the form that action takes when it is the focus of narrative plot, in a manner that avoids certain detours in the interpretation of narrative phenomenon and its anthropological function. Two such detours are evoked at the outset. First, structuralist narratology has had a tendency to analyze the “actional” structures of the narrative fabula autonomously. This has led narratalogists to lose sight of the function that actions have in conversational, or oral narrative, and to generalize a theory of action from this partial view. Second, cognitive theorists, despite having decompartimentalized narrative structures, have generally based their work on a schematic model of intentional action that is too general and too simplistic to properly determine the function that narrated actions fulfill. The author highlights the ways that certain forms of narrated action produce suspense or curiosity when used in conversational narrative. Drawing attention to the fundamental role of polemical actions in the dynamics of narration allows oppose two complementary conceptions of action: whereas “narrative” approaches highlight the uniqueness, the under-determinedness, or the surprising character of the narrated event, other forms of analysis seek to draw attention to the rules behind the apparent novelty of the event

Effects of Direct Instruction of Literary Text Elements with Story Mapping on Reading Comprehension

The purpose for the study was to examine the effects of direct instruction of literary text elements accompanied with story mapping on reading comprehension in a fourth grade self-contained classroom. In addition, the study examined if the teacher implementing the treatment recognized a positive change in student comprehension of literary text after implementing the treatment and if the teacher was positively motivated to include direct instruction lessons on literary text elements with story mapping to enhance student reading comprehension in the future. A quasi-experimental mixed research method was used driven by the objective of explaining a cause-and-effect relationship. Results of the study supported existing research, indicated that direct instruction of literary text elements with story mapping was an effective way to increase student reading comprehension, and motivated the teacher to implement direct instruction of literary text elements with story mapping in future instruction. Results showed statistically significant increase in reading comprehension scores from the pretest to the posttest as well as large margins of positive gain for students with and without special learning disabilities. Limitations of the study, implications for Community Christian School teacher practice, and suggestions for future research are discussed

“Welcome to the world of Pokémon!”: music and the player’s experience in Chunsoft’s Pokémon Mystery Dungeon

Most scholarship on video game music tends to focus on either their interactive or non-interactive elements, known as ‘gameplay’ and ‘story’. The music of Chunsoft’s Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series unites gameplay and story through the use of motives, silence, and shared modes and keys. This blending has important ramifications for the player’s gaming experience. The recurrence of musical elements links discrete tracks and scenes within the games, making the audio crucial for understanding the full meaning of the games

History in images / history in words : reflections on the possibility of really putting history on film (or what a historian begins to think about when people start turning his books into movies)

This was supposed to be easy. A chance to bring together all my thoughts on film and history. To make my inchoate notions coherent. To force myself to see what it is I have been thinking. But it has not been easy--more like attempting to pick up water and hold it in your hand. The ideas will not cohere. They change between the thinking and the writing of them. They slip away. They refuse to blend into a whole. Is it me? Is it the subject? I won't even bother with that one. The point is to say only what I can. Which means refusing to make artificial sense of ideas that will not make sense. Which means refusing to bridge the gaps in my knowledge. Which means refusing to make connections where connections do not yet (in my mind) exist. Which means abandoning the idea of an essay and doing no more than sharing some of my reflections and the ideas I have wrestled with during the months I have been attempting to write this piece. Which means there will be no linear development, no attempt at closure, no final answers to the questions posed by the elusive problem of can we represent history on film

The Most Involved Form Of Story: How World Of Warcraft Is A Story-Plus Experience

In this thesis I define the term Story-Plus within the context of the popular video game World of Warcraft. The massively multiplayer online role playing game World of Warcraft has a magnificent story worthy of study, and I believe that the experience available within the game is that of a return to communal story telling through first person experience in a shared and persisting environment. By comparing the game to storytelling structures such as Meta-Plot and through examining the player character’s personal narrative in the game world, I explain how World of Warcraft offers a Story-Plus experience

Experience Prototyping for Automotive Applications

In recent years, we started to define our life through experiences we make instead of objectswe buy. To attend a concert of our favorite musician may be more important for us thanowning an expensive stereo system. Similarly, we define interactive systems not only by thequality of the display or its usability, but rather by the experiences we can make when usingthe device. A cell phone is primarily built for making calls and receiving text messages,but on an emotional level it might provide a way to be close to our loved ones, even thoughthey are far away sometimes. When designing interactive technology, we do not only haveto answer the question how people use our systems, but also why they use them. Thus,we need to concentrate on experiences, feelings and emotions arising during interaction.Experience Design is an approach focusing on the story that a product communicates beforeimplementing the system. In an interdisciplinary team of psychologists, industrial designers, product developers andspecialists in human-computer interaction, we applied an Experience Design process to theautomotive domain. A major challenge for car manufacturers is the preservation of theseexperiences throughout the development process. When implementing interactive systemsengineers rely on technical requirements and a set of constraints (e.g., safety) oftentimescontradicting aspects of the designed experience. To resolve this conflict, Experience Prototypingis an important tool translating experience stories to an actual interactive product. With this thesis I investigate the Experience Design process focusing on Experience Prototyping.Within the automotive context, I report on three case studies implementing threekinds of interactive systems, forming and following our approach. I implemented (1) anelectric vehicle information system called Heartbeat, communicating the state of the electricdrive and the batteries to the driver in an unobtrusive and ensuring way. I integrated Heartbeatinto the dashboard of a car mock-up with respect to safety and space requirements butat the same time holding on to the story in order to achieve a consistent experience. With (2)the Periscope I implemented a mobile navigation device enhancing the social and relatednessexperiences of the passengers in the car. I built and evaluated several experience prototypesin different stages of the design process and showed that they transported the designed experiencethroughout the implementation of the system. Focusing on (3) the experience offreehand gestures, GestShare explored this interaction style for in-car and car-to-car socialexperiences. We designed and implemented a gestural prototypes for small but effectivesocial interactions between drivers and evaluated the system in the lab and and in-situ study. The contributions of this thesis are (1) a definition of Experience Prototyping in the automotivedomain resulting from a literature review and my own work, showing the importanceand feasibility of Experience Prototyping for Experience Design. I (2) contribute three casestudies and describe the details of several prototypes as milestones on the way from a anexperience story to an interactive system. I (3) derive best practices for Experience Prototypingconcerning their characteristics such as fidelity, resolution and interactivity as well asthe evaluation in the lab an in situ in different stages of the process.Wir definieren unser Leben zunehmend durch Dinge, die wir erleben und weniger durchProdukte, die wir kaufen. Ein Konzert unseres Lieblingsmusikers zu besuchen kann dabeiwichtiger sein, als eine teure Stereoanlage zu besitzen. Auch interaktive Systeme bewertenwir nicht mehr nur nach der Qualität des Displays oder der Benutzerfreundlichkeit, sondernauch nach Erlebnissen, die durch die Benutzung möglich werden. Das Smartphone wurdehauptsächlich zum Telefonieren und Schreiben von Nachrichten entwickelt. Auf einer emotionalenEbene bietet es uns aber auch eine Möglichkeit, wichtigen Personen sehr nah zusein, auch wenn sie manchmal weit weg sind. Bei der Entwicklung interaktiver Systememüssen wir uns daher nicht nur fragen wie, sondern auch warum diese benutzt werden. Erlebnisse,Gefühle und Emotionen, die während der Interaktion entstehen, spielen dabei einewichtige Rolle. Experience Design ist eine Disziplin, die sich auf Geschichten konzentriert,die ein Produkt erzählt, bevor es tatsächlich implementiert wird. In einem interdisziplinären Team aus Psychologen, Industrie-Designern, Produktentwicklernund Spezialisten der Mensch-Maschine-Interaktion wurde ein Prozess zur Erlebnis-Gestaltung im automobilen Kontext angewandt. Die Beibehaltung von Erlebnissen über dengesamten Entwicklungsprozess hinweg ist eine große Herausforderung für Automobilhersteller.Ingenieure hängen bei der Implementierung interaktiver Systeme von technischen,sicherheitsrelevanten und ergonomischen Anforderungen ab, die oftmals dem gestaltetenErlebnis widersprechen. Die Bereitstellung von Erlebnis-Prototypen ermöglicht die Übersetzungvon Geschichten in interaktive Produkte und wirkt daher diesem Konflikt entgegen. Im Rahmen dieser Dissertation untersuche ich den Prozess zur Erlebnis-Gestaltung hinsichtlichder Bedeutung von Erlebnis-Prototypen. Ich berichte von drei Fallbeispielen im automobilenBereich, die die Gestaltung und Implementierung verschiedener interaktiver Systemenumfassen. (1) Ein Informationssystem für Elektrofahrzeuge, der Heartbeat, macht den Zustanddes elektrischen Antriebs und den Ladestand der Batterien für den Fahrer visuell undhaptisch erlebbar. Nach der Implementierung mehrerer Prototypen wurde Heartbeat unterBerücksichtigung verschiedener technischer und sicherheitsrelevanter Anforderungen in dieArmaturen eines Fahrzeugmodells integriert, ohne dass dabei das gestaltete Erlebnis verlorengegangen ist. (2) Das Periscope ist ein mobiles Navigationsgerät, das den Insassensoziale Erlebnisse ermöglicht und das Verbundenheitsgefühl stärkt. Durch die Implementierungmehrere Erlebnis-Prototypen und deren Evaluation in verschiedenen Phasen des Entwicklungsprozesseskonnten die gestalteten Erlebnisse konsistent erhalten werden. (3) ImProjekt GestShare wurde das Potential der Interaktion durch Freiraumgesten im Fahrzeuguntersucht. Dabei standen ein Verbundenheitserlebnis des Fahrers und soziale Interaktionenmit Fahrern anderer Fahrzeuge im Fokus. Es wurden mehrere Prototypen implementiert undauch in einer Verkehrssituation evaluiert. Die wichtigsten Beiträge dieser Dissertation sind (1) eine intensive Betrachtung und Anwendungvon Erlebnis-Prototypen im Auto und deren Relevanz bei der Erlebnis-Gestaltung,beruhend auf einer Literaturauswertung und der eigenen Erfahrung innerhalb des Projekts; (2) drei Fallstudien und eine detaillierte Beschreibung mehrere Prototypen in verschiedenenPhasen des Prozesses und (3) Empfehlungen zu Vorgehensweisen bei der Erstellung vonErlebnis-Prototypen hinsichtlich der Eigenschaften wie Nähe zum finalen Produkt, Anzahlder implementierten Details und Interaktivität sowie zur Evaluation im Labor und in tatsächlichenVerkehrssituationen in verschiedenen Phasen des Entwicklungsprozesses

Digital cinema--an environment for multi-threaded stories

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Media Arts & Sciences, 1993.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-86).by Mark David Halliday.M.S

The Player’s Journey: Ludology and Narratology in Modern Gaming

This thesis examines the evolution of gaming criticism (specifically ludology and narratology) and games as a medium of expression through the use of case studies. These case studies look at some of the core aspects of four major titles (The Last of Us, Horizon Zero Dawn, various BioWare games and Journey) and survey how these games work to effectively employ a narrative while maintaining an immersive, intuitive system for the player to interact with. Through these titles, the thesis suggests that in order to gain a full scope of a game’s intentions, studies should analyze more than the base story or gameplay, but rather the correlations between them as well as the ways that the visuals and audio aspects interact and enhance the narrative. Furthermore, it suggests the importance of creating gameplay that works with the story in order to ensure that the player always feels as though they have a stake in the outcome of the game, regardless of the nature of the narrative