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Comparing Player Responses to Choice-Based Interactive Narratives Using Facial Expression Analysis

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Interactive Storytelling (ICIDS 2018)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNISA,volume 11318))

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Abstract

Interactive storytelling balances the desire to create dynamic, engaging experiences around characters and situations with the practical considerations of the cost of producing content. We describe a method for assessing player experience by analyzing player facial expressions following key content events in The Wolf Among Us by Telltale Games. Two metrics, engagement and valence, are extracted for six participants who play the first episode of the game. An analysis of the variance and distribution of responses relative to emotionally charged content events and choices suggests that content is designed around events that serve to anchor player emotions while providing the freedom to respond through emotionally-motivated choice selections and content elicitors.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The specific AUs used in each metric can be found at Affectiva’s website, https://developer.affectiva.com/mapping-expressions-to-emotions/.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Central Florida, Orlando, USA

    John T. Murray

  2. University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, CA, USA

    Raquel Robinson

  3. Expressive Intelligence Studio, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA

    Michael Mateas & Noah Wardrip-Fruin

Authors
  1. John T. Murray
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  2. Raquel Robinson
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  3. Michael Mateas
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  4. Noah Wardrip-Fruin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to John T. Murray .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA

    Rebecca Rouse

  2. University of the Arts Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Hartmut Koenitz

  3. Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Mads Haahr

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Murray, J.T., Robinson, R., Mateas, M., Wardrip-Fruin, N. (2018). Comparing Player Responses to Choice-Based Interactive Narratives Using Facial Expression Analysis. In: Rouse, R., Koenitz, H., Haahr, M. (eds) Interactive Storytelling. ICIDS 2018. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 11318. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04028-4_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04028-4_6

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-04028-4

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