Objective Metrics for Interactive Narrative (original) (raw)
A Study of Interactive Narrative from User's Perspective
Handbook of Multimedia for Digital …, 2009
The topic of interactive narrative has been under research for many years. Many regard the term itself as an oxymoron [1] [2], while others see narrative as an integral part of every interactive production [3] . While there has been much research exploring the development of new algorithms that enable and enhance interactive narratives, there has been little research focusing on the question of how players understand and internalize their interactive narrative experiences. In this chapter, we discuss the interactive narrative experience as seen through the users" eyes. Specifically, we report on a study we conducted using a phenomenological approach to explore the participants" lived experience of playing an interactive narrative. We chose to use Façade, as an example interactive narrative for our study due to its accessibility and its focus on social relationships, conflict, and drama as its core mechanics. As we look into the experience of interactive narrative, we reflect on enhancements to the design of future interactive narratives and discuss open problems in the field of interactive narrative.
The 'Interactive'of Interactive Storytelling: Customizing the Gaming Experience
Entertainment Computing-ICEC 2010, 2010
In this article, we define interactive storytelling as a gaming experience where the form and content of the game is customized in real time and tailored to the preferences and needs of the player to maximixe enjoyment. The primary focus of interactive storytelling should not be on the attributes of the technology or characteristics of the medium, such as the AI techniques, planning formalisms, story representations, etc. but on different interaction levels provided by computer games and basic components of player enjoyment such as difficulty levels and gaming rewards. In conducting an analysis of interactive storytelling systems, we propose a user-centered approach to interactive storytelling by defining different customization levels for an optimum gaming experience.
Narrative as a Game User Experience Dimension: An Experimental Study
International Series on Computer Entertainment and Media Technology
The concept of user experience is the subjective relationship between the user and the application, with special emphasis on interaction. Accordingly, the concept of player experience is the subjective relationship between the player and the game, again with special emphasis on interaction but the interactive nature of digital games necessitates different methods to analyze user experience since the player is not merely an interactor but an active participant that shapes his/her own experience with his/her actions and choices. In this regard, modeling player experience is a diverse field of research. Wiemeyer et al. (2016) divided psychological models of player experience into two, general models that have been developed for a wide range of application areas including gaming and domain-specific models that have been developed especially for gaming. The general psychological models are Self-Determination Theory (SDT) of Ryan and Deci (2000), the Flow model of Nakamura and Csikszentmihalyi (2002), Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction (ARCS) model of Keller (1987), and the various presence/immersion studies in literature. These generic models were developed for other fields of study and although there were attempts to apply them to gaming, narrative is not an individual dimension of player experience in any of them. SDT was extended and applied to gaming with the Player Experience of Need Satisfaction (PENS) model (Ryan et al. 2006) and the three dimensions of player experience are: PENS in-game autonomy, PENS in-game competence, PENS ingame relatedness. Flow model has been modified by Sweetser and Wyeth (2005) as GameFlow and consists of eight elements: concentration, challenge, skills, control,
2010
Narrative-rich game genres such as role playing games and adventure games aim at specific dimensions of user enjoyment. Technology development in “Interactive Storytelling” will enrich such narrative-based player experiences in the near future, yet the conceptualization and empirical assessment of how players respond to interactive narrative and their own role within the game story is underdeveloped. The present paper introduces a set of self-report measures tailored particularly for games with interactive story elements. It is based on entertainment research in media psychology and has so far produced promising empirical performance results.
How does an interactive story feel like? Theory and measurement of the user experience
This workshop is dedicated to discussing the user experience of an emerging new type of entertainment computing: Interactive stories. Technology development in Interactive Storytelling (IS) has made substantial progress recently, but theory and empirical studies on the user perspective have not received much attention in the entertainment computing community so far. The workshop introduces a measurement toolkit for testing user experiences in IS prototypes and stimulates discussion on conceptual as well as methodological issues in user-focused research on IS.
Choices Matter: The Mechanics of Choice in Interactive Narrative
2019
Interactive choices have become popular in today's games and stories. But how do choices work? This thesis examines the 'choice' as a form of expression. Some choices are like a quiz - they have a right answer. Others exist to help you explore a story from different sides. However both of these underutilise the choice. This thesis argues that the best way to use the choice is as a tool for self-reflection. By saving a person's set of choices, a game or story can respond to them in a way that's unique and helps them to grow as a person.
Evaluating the User Experience of Interactive Digital Narrative
Many virtual and alternate reality projects create narrative experiences in the digital medium. These are Interactive Digital Narratives (IDN), a form of expression at the intersection of different artistic approaches, research fields (humanities, computer science), and emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, virtual reality, generative content), with a wide potential for different applications. A key element towards fulfilling this potential is the creation of a satisfying user experience. In this paper we present a toolbox for the evaluation of the user experience that connects which enables the systematic and quantitative study of IDN user experiences. This approach connects research in psychology [27] based on Entertainment Theory [5] with a humanities-based perspective. Specifically, we map Murray’s influential theoretical framework [22] to Roth’s empirical dimensions and thus connect an analytical framework to empirical research.
Narrative engagement in games - A continuation desire perspective
2013
User/player experiences may be evaluated in many ways, however, most concepts describing engagement with interactive artifacts tend to be complex and limited. This paper focuses on an aspect of engagement, which we believe, may be used to quantify any Interactive Storytelling (IS) experience. The willingness to continue an experience or Continuation Desire is a driver for meaningful and engaging experience, which is often overlooked. We believe that Continuation Desire is a useful tool for assessing narrative quality when combined with factors related to narrative engagement. We discuss possible aspects related to evaluating narrative engagement and Continuation Desire. The resulting framework represents a basis for evaluating IS artifacts (e.g games and IS applications) in future studies.
Fundamentals Of Interactive Storytelling İnteraktif Hikayeciliğin Temelleri
2012
The focus of interactive storytelling should not only be on the attributes of the technology or characteristics of the medium, such as the AI techniques, planning formalisms, story representations, etc. but also on the computer-mediated communication processes, such as the relatedness of transmitted messages with previous exchanges of information, the number of attributes to be manipulated by the player, or the level of player control on the messages. This article argues that an approach to maximize player enjoyment in a computer game is to customize/personalize the gaming experience and the associated computer-mediated communication processes. To this aim and to provide answers to "how" and "what" should be customized, first the problematic notions of interactivity are explored and then the discussion is framed in the context of interactive storytelling systems. Secondly, table-top role-playing games (RPGs)-the live counterpart of computerized interactive storytelling systems-were analysed in an attempt to find "what" to customize. In particular, the article focuses on the Dungeon Master whose role in coordinating human-to-human communication process of interactive storytelling provides valuable insights into how to handle the humanto-machine/game communication process. Finally, the article proposes a framework to explain "how" to customize for maximum player enjoyment and optimal game experience within an interactive storytelling system.
Storyeval: An empirical evaluation framework for narrative generation
2009
Abstract Research in intelligent narrative technologies has recently experienced a significant resurgence. As the field matures, devising principled evaluation methodologies will become increasingly important to ensure continued progress. Because of the complexities of narrative phenomena, as well as the inherent subjectivity of narrative experiences, effectively evaluating intelligent narrative technologies poses significant challenges.