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Bookwander: From Printed Fiction to Virtual Reality—Four Design Approaches for Enhanced VR Reading Experiences

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Interactive Storytelling (ICIDS 2023)

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Abstract

This paper explores the transformation of traditional written fiction into an immersive virtual reality (VR) experience. By combining VR technology with specific design methods, the paper proposes creating an adaptable environment that prioritises the text over other perceptible stimuli. The paper introduces Bookwander, an experimental VR reading experience which incorporates four unique design approaches, namely, The Power of Text, Selective Imagery, Scenic Reading, and Playful Reading. Each approach contributes to immersion, interpretation, visualisation, and interaction in distinct ways. The preliminary results from a qualitative pilot study indicate that providing spatial-based content in a reactive environment to the text strikes a suitable balance between traditional reading and a VR experience. Participants felt immersed without compromising the reading experience, and the various visual representations did not hinder interpretation or imagination. The paper concludes with recommendations for further developments in immersive reading and future research directions in this field.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    We invite our readers to follow this link for a video sample of Bookwander: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8fiaBDEkXrNu7xZIY-cYQdCuPVOKUmjd

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Mgr.art. Helena Lukášová, ArtD. And Filip Opálený for their valuable input. We are also thankful to the participants for their time and insights. This research was part of a master’s thesis at the Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic.

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  1. Atelier of Graphic Design and Multimedia, Department of Visual Computing - Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

    Nikola Kunzova & Daniel Echeverri

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  1. Nikola Kunzova
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Correspondence to Nikola Kunzova or Daniel Echeverri .

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  1. University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden

    Lissa Holloway-Attaway

  2. University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA

    John T. Murray

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Kunzova, N., Echeverri, D. (2023). Bookwander: From Printed Fiction to Virtual Reality—Four Design Approaches for Enhanced VR Reading Experiences. In: Holloway-Attaway, L., Murray, J.T. (eds) Interactive Storytelling. ICIDS 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14383. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47655-6_19

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