Christian Roth

The practice of designing Interactive Digital Narratives [IDN] is often described as a challenge facing issues such as the " narrative paradox " and avoiding the unintentional creation of " ludonarrative dissonance ". These terms are expressions of a perspective that takes narrative and interactivity as dichotomic ends of a design trajectory, mirroring an enduring discussion in game studies between positions often cast as ludologists and narratologists. The dichotomy of ludo versus narrative is, in itself, problematic and is often the source of the very conflict it describes. In this paper, we investigate this issue through the example of the cooperative game A Way Out, in which two players team up to break out of prison. The game is designed with a narrative twist, involving the escalation and final resolution of the game's competitive motif in the final scene. To understand the user experiences of this reveal, and the concomitant consequences, we engage in a discursive analysis of "Let's Play" videos as a largely untapped resource for research. By analyzing the interactions and performances in these videos , we can more clearly understand player responses to unsatisfying IDN design. As a result we introduce the notion of a 'hermeneutic strip', extending Koenitz' SPP model to locate and describe the involved processes of narrative cognition in IDN work.

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.

In the context of this paper we take design knowledge as the methods applied by the creators (for example game designers in the case of games) of interactive experiences in contrast to for example the design of authoring tools or the design of game engines and similar computational systems. Such knowledge about rule-based game design is widespread as evidenced by numerous book publications and many university-level programs of study. In contrast, there is considerable less academic or professional knowledge on the design of interactive narratives – for example, book publications focused on this topic number in the single digits and in academic programs the topic only exists on the margins. This paper proposes the use of empirical research methods as means to address this situation and examines specific challenges. On this foundation, we introduce a research effort to gather transferable interactive narrative design knowledge and report on a first user study. Finally, we provide guidelines and discuss future research.

In the context of this paper we take design knowledge as the methods applied by the creators (for example game designers in the case of games) of interactive experiences in contrast to for example the design of authoring tools or the design of game engines and similar computational systems. Such knowledge about rule-based game design is widespread as evidenced by numerous book publications and many university-level programs of study. In contrast, there is considerable less academic or professional knowledge on the design of interactive narratives -- for example, book publications focused on this topic number in the single digits and in academic programs the topic only exists on the margins. This paper proposes the use of empirical research methods as means to address this situation and examines specific challenges. On this foundation, we introduce a research effort to gather transferable interactive narrative design knowledge and report on a first user study. Finally, we provide guidelines and discuss future research.

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.

In recent years, game narrative has emerged as an area for novel game concepts and as a strategy to distinguish a particular title. However, innovation in this area comes primarily from indie companies and individual efforts by noted designers. There is a lack of trained specialists ready to produce interactive narrative experiences. Many existing practitioners are self-trained and often rely on intuition in their design practice. A key element missing from the effort towards a more sustained development and improved professional training is a set of design conventions that fulfill a role comparable to cinematic conventions like continuity editing or montage. Therefore, our research focuses on identifying, verifying and collecting such design strategies. We describe an empirical method to verify candidate design conventions through the evaluation of user reaction to A/B prototypes, which improves upon the trial-and-error process of old.