Non-linear Stories In Games: Case study of players’‘ and developers' perspective

Non-linear Stories In Games: Case study of players’‘ ‘and developers' perspective

Non-linear Stories In Games: Case study of players’‘ and developers' perspective

By Egor Pyatkov

Abstract

“This thesis studies the possibility and viability, in terms of costs of development, of creating non-linear player driven stories in video games and researches how increased player agency affects player engagement. In order to do that, we designed and implemented an algorithm that simplifies the development of such narratives. We used it to modify the game “A Gig” to create two versions of it with varying player agency: less restrictive and more restrictive versions, which we served as the intervention tools in the study. The study involved two groups of players playing the created versions of “AGig” and reporting their experiences in two questionnaires aimed at evaluating their engagement. Our results showed that there is definitive interest in open stories and quests. We also discovered that players’ satisfaction largely comes from seeing the results they were aiming to receive, as well as experiencing more freedom in their actions and choices.”

Reference

Pyatkov, E. (2021). Non-linear Stories In Games: Case study of players’ and developers' perspective. Faculty of Mathematics and Physics Charles University. https://dspace.cuni.cz/bitstream/handle/20.500.11956/148282/130315950.pdf

Keyword

Video games, human-computer interaction, non-linear storytelling, engagement, developers' tools, research