For my second article review, I actually was lucky enough to read an entire thesis from Victoria University in Wellington that was written in 2016 by Mohsin Ali, who was completing their Masters of Design Innovation in Media Design.
Their thesis looked specifically at how the VR system - the Oculus Rift can enrich the tradition of interactive storytelling found in traditional PC and Console based video games.
As Virtual Reality continues to develop at rapid fire speed, so too does the need for strong interactive stories, so Ali's thesis is an important contribution to not only the world of technology but also the world of narrative design. Ali begins by stating that:
"The technology of today, such as the Oculus Rift, can provide immersion in ways that were unachievable in the past... ...Unlike television, computer and mobile screens, a virtual reality headset digitally transports the user into the environment... ...(providing) immersion unlike anything experienced to date." (Ali, 2016)
Their research project aimed to develop "...an application where interactive storytelling is compatible with the Oculus Rift, and (test) that application with participants." before finally drawing a conclusion from "the data collected by participants." (Ali, 2016)
I didn't have the opportunity to actually play the game that Ali developed, but even just observing their research was fascinating enough and highly applicable to my own work.
At the beginning of their research, they created several points of investigation in order to narrow down their field of study. These points fell under two larger points creating as follows:
"Determine the amount of interactivity that interactive stories have.
- Define what is considered ‘interactive’ in interactive stories.
- Test what interactive elements are present in current interactive projects.
- Determine the influence of interactivity on the narrative structure.
Determine if virtual reality can enhance story experiences.
- Determine the design strategies used to harness the Oculus Rifts capabilities.
- Produce a platform where virtual reality coincides with the interactive narrative.
- Test my interactive application with participants." (Ali, 2016)
Moving on through that they gave a literature review of relevant materials from other academic sources. Their purpose in doing this was to create for themselves some guidelines to follow with the creation of their own interactive narrative. Beginning with a look at what makes an interactive narrative interactive, they found that:
"...1) There is a clear distinction made between reaction and
interaction. (referencing a quote by theorist Chris Crawford in which he explains that "passive mediums" like film are reactive, where as interactive mediums require the story to cause its audience to react to it and then have the story react back to their initial reaction) 2) Narrative interactions are not restricted to character-based
interactions. Environmental interactions can also be used to
influence the story." (Ali, 2016)
After this conclusion, they moved on to analyse literature on Emergent Narrative Theory (a theory which arose to try deal with the inherent contradiction between complete player freedom and author control regarding the imposition of a plot) finding that for their project:
"1) Interaction and narrative must complement each other.
2) The decisions that the user makes will advance the story.
3) Future decisions will be limited to the user’s own story choices." (Ali, 2016)
Once these rules had be created, Ali reviewed a few narrative-rich games on console and PC (Game of Thrones: A Telltale Series, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt) before analyzing a VR game (Back to Dinosaur Island) in search of further examples of what worked and what didn't.
Upon creating their game - a project they called "Agi" the author conducted surveys of participants with the following questions:
"1. On a scale of 1 – 5, how difficult was the application to use? (5
being very hard)
2. How did it feel to view this story through an Oculus Rift?
3. Did you like or dislike being able to make decisions in the story
and why?
4. Would you consider to experience more stories like this in the
future?
5. Did you have any technical problems with the application?
6. Additional feedback?" (Ali, 2016)
Most importantly, from these questions they were able to collect data on how participants reacted to the story. They discovered a "trend found amongst all the participants was the extra care when making a decision. This was identified through slight hesitation or a large pause before selecting a decision. 86% of the participants verbally commented after the selection of their decision." (Ali, 2016)
Further, the research brought up through the comments of participants in the survey the topic of "user freedom verses author control."
“I liked it but wanted some more control over the characters decisions.
Eg: make quick decisions while walking a chosen path.” (Ali, 2016)
“Like, opens up the possibilities of the story, multiple endings keeps
replayability. Some feelings of linearity with player choices feeling
limited.” (Ali, 2016)
“Great approach to interactivity. If it is developed to a point where
everything you say effects a plot point that would be amazing.” (Ali, 2016)
Through this information, the author pointed out "An interesting comment was made about being able to make quick decisions while progressing through another decision. This will give the illusion of additional freedom however the end result will remain the same." (Ali, 2016)
Concluding their thesis, Ali states that: "not only does the Oculus Rift enhance the story experience, the Oculus Rift is also the relevant technological platform for interactive storytelling... ...The evidence is presented in this research where 100% of the participants did not struggle with the interactive system. 17% of the participants are aged between 40 and 50 years old which shows that the interactivity is not limited to the younger audience. Interactive storytelling does not require the multiple complex interactions that video games necessitate. The core of interactive storytelling is presenting the user with a decision at a point in the narrative that influences how the story advances (Lissen J, 2012, pg. 3). Combining the core principles of interactive storytelling with a simple interaction provided by the Oculus Rift, creates a system that can appeal to audiences from the film and video game territory." (Ali, 2016)
Overall, the thesis was informative regarding storytelling in VR, however it didn't touch on certain issues exclusive to VR that has a huge effect on immersion, such as VR motion sickness involved with movement in the virtual world. Ali's research, although informative regarding interactive narrative, could have been researched via traditional gaming consoles without much change in their storytelling conclusions. That being said, the author has offered a wealth of information regarding immersive and emergent narrative in games.
REFERENCES:
Ali, M. (2016). How can the Oculus Rift enrich the interactive storytelling experience? (Master's thesis, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand). Retrieved from http://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/handle/10063/6154
Linssen, J. (2012). Discussion of Interactive Storytelling Techniques for Use in a Serious Game (Master thesis, University of Twente, Enshede, Netherlands).
Retrieved from: http://doc.utwente.nl/80054/
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