Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Challenges of IDN Research and Teaching

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Interactive Storytelling (ICIDS 2019)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNISA,volume 11869))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

In this paper, we react to developments that frame research in interactive digital narrative (IDN) as a field of study and potential future academic discipline. We take stock of the current situation, identify issues with perception and point out achievements. On that basis we identify five critical challenges, areas in need of attention in order to move the research field forward. In particular we discuss the dependency on legacy analytical frameworks (Groundhog Day), the lack of a shared vocabulary (Babylonian Confusion), the missing institutional memory of the field (Amnesia), the absence of established benchmarks (No Yardstick) and the overproduction of uncoordinated and quickly abandoned tools (Sisyphus). For each challenge area, we propose ways to address these challenges and enable increased collaboration in the field. Our paper has the aim to both provide orientation for newcomers to the field of IDN and to offer a basis for a discussion of future shared work.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    List of participants in Benchmarking Interactive Narrative Systems (BEINS) - 13 June 2019: Ruth Aylett, Rogelio E. Cardona-Rivera, Mirjam P. Eladhari, Hartmut Koenitz, Vincenzo Lombardo, Sandy Louchart, Michael Mateas, Josh McCoy, Henrik Schoenau-Fog, Nicolas Szilas, Mariët Theune, David Thue, Sergio Estupinan Vesga, Stephen G. Ware, and Michael Young.

References

  1. Ardin website. http://ardin.online

  2. Little Red Riding Hood Workshop: The Authoring Process in Interactive Storytelling. http://redcap.interactive-storytelling.de/

  3. Iris authoring tool descriptions (2008). http://iris.interactive-storytelling.de/AuthoringToolDescriptions

  4. Interactive storytelling, Wikipedia, page version id: 906128942, July 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org

  5. 42 Entertainment: I Love Bees. [Alternate Reality Game] (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Aarseth, E.: A narrative theory of games. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games - FDG 2012, p. 129. ACM Press, New York, May 2012. https://doi.org/10.1145/2282338.2282365

  7. Ascott, R.: The Construction of Change. Cambridge Opinion (1964)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Atkinson, B.: HyperCard (1987)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Bioware: Aurora Engine (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Bioware: Neverwinter Nights. Infogrames/Atari MacSoft [Computer Game-Role Playing Game] (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Blast Theory: Karen (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Bordwell, D.: Three dimensions of film narrative. In: Poetics of Cinema (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Santo, C.: Firewatch (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Cavazza, M., et al.: The IRIS network of excellence: integrating research in interactive storytelling. In: Spierling, U., Szilas, N. (eds.) ICIDS 2008. LNCS, vol. 5334, pp. 14–19. Springer, Heidelberg (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-89454-4_3. http://iris.scm.tees.ac.uk/

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  15. Coover, R.: The End of Books. New York Times Literary Review (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Crawford, C.: The Dragon Speech (1993). http://www.erasmatazz.com/personal/videos/the-dragon-speech-1993.html

  17. Dufresne, D.: Fort McMoney (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Duijn, M.: The Industry (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Duijn, M., Wolting, F., Pallotta, T.: Last Hijack Interactive (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Eladhari, M.P.: Re-tellings: the fourth layer of narrative as an instrument for critique. In: Rouse, R., Koenitz, H., Haahr, M. (eds.) ICIDS 2018. LNCS, vol. 11318, pp. 65–78. Springer, Cham (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04028-4_5

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  21. Electronic Arts: Black & White. Lionhead Studios [Computer Game] (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Evans, R., Short, E.: Versu—a simulationist storytelling system. IEEE Trans. Comput. Intell. AI Games 6(2), 113–130 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1109/TCIAIG.2013.2287297. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6648395/

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Fastermind Games: Icebound (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Fernández-Vara, C.: Introduction to Game Analysis. Routledge, New York (2014)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  25. Garrett, E.: Telltale Games’ Cancelled Zombie Project Details Revealed by Former Employee, September 2018. https://dontfeedthegamers.com/telltale-games-cancelled-zombie-project/

  26. Hendler, J.A.: Avoiding another AI winter. IEEE Intell. Syst. 23(2), 2–4 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Infinite Fall: Night in the Woods (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Inkle: 80 Days (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Joyce, M.: Afternoon: a story. Eastgate Systems (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Klimas, C.: TWINE (2009). https://twinery.org

  31. Koenitz, H.: Towards a specific theory of interactive digital narrative. In: Interactive Digital Narrative: History, Theory and Practice (2015)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  32. Koenitz, H.: Thoughts on a discipline for the study of interactive digital narratives. In: Rouse, R., Koenitz, H., Haahr, M. (eds.) ICIDS 2018. LNCS, vol. 11318, pp. 36–49. Springer, Cham (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04028-4_3

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  33. Koenitz, H., Haahr, M., Ferri, G., Sezen, T.I.: Towards a shared vocabulary for interactive digital storytelling. In: Technologies for Interactive Digital Storytelling and Entertainment, pp. 293–294. Springer, Heidelberg (2010)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  34. Mateas, M., Stern, A.: Façade: an experiment in building a fully-realized interactive drama. In: Game Developers Conference, vol. 2, pp. 4–8 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  35. McCoy, J., Treanor, M., Samuel, B., Mateas, M., Wardrip-Fruin, N.: Prom Week: social physics as gameplay. In: Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Foundations of Digital Games, pp. 319–321. ACM (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  36. McCoy, J., Treanor, M., Samuel, B., Wardrip, N., Mateas, M.: Comme il Faut: a system for authoring playable social models, pp. 158–163 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  37. Montfort, N., et al.: 10 PRINT CHR \$(205.5+ RND (1));: GOTO 10. MIT Press (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  38. Murray, J.H.: The pedagogy of cyberfiction: teaching a course on reading and writing interactive narrative. In: Barrett, E., Redmond, M. (eds.) Contextual Media, pp. 129–162. MIT Press, Cambridge (1995). http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=212279.212296

  39. Murray, J.H.: Hamlet on the Holodeck. The Free Press (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  40. Murray, J.H.: Inventing the Medium: Principles of Interaction Design as a Cultural Practice. MIT Press, Cambridge (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  41. Murray, J.H.: Research into interactive digital narrative: a kaleidoscopic view. In: Rouse, R., Koenitz, H., Haahr, M. (eds.) ICIDS 2018. LNCS, vol. 11318, pp. 3–17. Springer, Cham (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04028-4_1

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  42. Nelson, G.: Inform 7 (1993)

    Google Scholar 

  43. Night School Studio: Oxenfree (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  44. Penny, S.: The virtualization of art practice: body knowledge and the engineering worldview. Art J. 56(3), 30 (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  45. Pope, L.: Papers, Please (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  46. Pope, L.: The Return of the Obra Dinn (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  47. Quantic Dream: Heavy Rain [Video game] (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  48. Quantic Dream: Detroit: Become Human (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  49. Roberts, M.: Text Adventure Development System (TADS) (1988)

    Google Scholar 

  50. Rosini, R.: Storybricks is no more - Rodolfo Rosini, May 2015. https://medium.com/@rodolfor/storybricks-is-no-more-f26b0980e62e

  51. Ryan, J.: Grimes’ fairy tales: a 1960s story generator. In: Nunes, N., Oakley, I., Nisi, V. (eds.) ICIDS 2017. LNCS, vol. 10690, pp. 89–103. Springer, Cham (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71027-3_8

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  52. Shibolet, Y., Knoller, N., Koenitz, H.: A framework for classifying and describing authoring tools for interactive digital narrative. In: Rouse, R., Koenitz, H., Haahr, M. (eds.) ICIDS 2018. LNCS, vol. 11318, pp. 523–533. Springer, Cham (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04028-4_61

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  53. Short, E.: Blood & Laurels. Linden Lab (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  54. Short, E.: Ultimate Quest. AKQA [Tweet-based text adventure] (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  55. Szilas, N., Boggini, T., Axelrad, M., Petta, P., Rank, S.: Specification of an open architecture for interactive storytelling. In: Si, M., Thue, D., André, E., Lester, J.C., Tanenbaum, J., Zammitto, V. (eds.) ICIDS 2011. LNCS, vol. 7069, pp. 330–333. Springer, Heidelberg (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-25289-1_41

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  56. Szilas, N., Couronnes, T.: IDtension: the simulation of narrative. In: 3rd Conference on Computational Semiotics for Games, pp. 106–107 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  57. Telltale Games: The Walking Dead [Video game] (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  58. Telltale Games: The Wolf Among Us (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  59. The Chinese Room: Dear Esther (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  60. The Fullbright Company: Gone Home (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  61. The Sims Studio: The Sims 3. Electronic Arts [Computer Game] (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  62. Wallace, R.: A.L.I.C.E. (Artificial Linguistic Internet Computer Entity) (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  63. Wardrip-Fruin, N.: Digital media archaeology: interpreting computational processes. In: Huhtamo, E., Parikka, J. (eds.) Media Archaeology: Approaches, Applications, and Implications, pp. 302–322. University of California Press, Berkeley (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  64. Weizenbaum, J.: ELIZA—a computer program for the study of natural language communication between man and machine. Commun. ACM 9(1), 36–45 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1145/365153.365168. http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=365153.365168

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. HKU University of the Arts Utrecht, Postbus 1520, 3500 BM, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Hartmut Koenitz

  2. Södertörn University, Alfred Nobels allé 7, 141 89, Huddinge, Sweden

    Mirjam Palosaari Eladhari

Authors
  1. Hartmut Koenitz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mirjam Palosaari Eladhari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hartmut Koenitz .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Rogelio E. Cardona-Rivera

  2. Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Anne Sullivan

  3. University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    R. Michael Young

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Koenitz, H., Eladhari, M.P. (2019). Challenges of IDN Research and Teaching. In: Cardona-Rivera, R., Sullivan, A., Young, R. (eds) Interactive Storytelling. ICIDS 2019. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 11869. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33894-7_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33894-7_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-33893-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-33894-7

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation