Connecting the Dots: Quantifying the Narrative Experience in Interactive Media
Authors
Hannesson, Hakon Jarl ; Reimann-Andersen, Thorbjørn
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2015
Submitted on
2015-06-30
Pages
138
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger fortælling i interaktive medier med særligt fokus på emergent fortælling – historier der opstår ud af spillernes egne handlinger og valg i stedet for at følge en fastlagt plotlinje. Med udgangspunkt i eksisterende teori udviklede forfatteren en online-undersøgelse, der samlede fem mål for fortælleoplevelser: et nyt spørgeskema til at måle emergent fortælling; narrativ transport (hvor meget man føler sig ført ind i historien); spillerindlevelse (hvor opslugt man er af spillet); et nyt mål for hvordan enkelte spilmekanikker understøtter emergent fortælling; samt Bartles spillertypologi (en model for spilpræferencer). Hver deltager udfyldte undersøgelsen for ét ud af 20 udvalgte spil. Spillene blev valgt, fordi de opfyldte mindst ét af tre kriterier: stærke community-beskrivelser af emergente spillefortællinger, højt potentiale for emergent fortælling eller egnethed som sammenlignings- eller referencegrundlag. Data blev indsamlet over tre uger i maj–juni 2015 og omfattede 14.259 besvarelser. Resultaterne indikerer, at spørgeskemaet til emergent fortælling fungerede godt i forhold til deltagernes egne vurderinger af, om de oplevede emergent fortælling, og viste en stærk sammenhæng (R(14)=0.947; p<0.05, som rapporteret). Derudover fandt undersøgelsen moderate positive sammenhænge mellem emergent fortælling og narrativ transport (R(14)=0.559; p=0.024) samt mellem emergent fortælling og indlevelse (R(14)=0.521; p=0.039). Det peger på, at narrativ transport og indlevelse har betydning i spil, hvor emergent fortælling sandsynligvis opstår. Datamængden dækker mange aspekter af den interaktive fortælleoplevelse. Yderligere analyser er nødvendige og forventes at kunne afdække flere interessante fund.
This thesis examines storytelling in interactive media with a special focus on emergent narrative—stories that arise from players’ actions and choices rather than a fixed plot. Building on existing theory, the author created an online survey that combined five measures of narrative experience: a new questionnaire to assess emergent narrative; narrative transportation (how much people feel carried into the story); player immersion (how absorbed they feel while playing); a new scale for how individual game mechanics support emergent narrative; and the Bartle player type (a model of player motivations). Each participant completed the survey for one of 20 selected games. The games were chosen if they met at least one of three criteria: strong community-reported emergent storytelling, high potential for emergent narrative, or usefulness as comparative/baseline cases. Data were collected over three weeks in May–June 2015, yielding 14,259 responses. The results indicate that the emergent narrative questionnaire aligned well with participants’ self-reported experiences of emergent narrative and showed a strong relationship (R(14)=0.947; p<0.05, as reported). The study also found moderate positive correlations between emergent narrative and narrative transportation (R(14)=0.559; p=0.024) and between emergent narrative and immersion (R(14)=0.521; p=0.039). This suggests that narrative transportation and immersion play a significant role in games where emergent narrative is likely to appear. The dataset is extensive and covers many aspects of interactive narrative experience. Further analysis is needed and is likely to reveal additional insights.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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