Abstract
This paper explores how the user experience and diegetic time changes when a specific roleplaying scenario is played via a virtual environment and headsets, compared to a traditional playthrough. A case-study roleplaying scenario is developed to investigate the change in user experience qualitatively, and a virtual environment matching this scenario is created. The players using the virtual environment version spent the entire time communicating within the story, and the diegetic time equated real time for the entire playthrough, compared to approximately 4/5 of the time in the traditional playthrough. Additionally, there are indications that this adherence to the diegesis resulted in a higher suspense. The results show that the virtual environment version can deliver an engaging story experience, and might therefore potentially inspire for a solution to the narrative paradox.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Rilstone, A.: Roleplaying Games: An Overview (1994), http://www.rpg.net/oracle/essays/rpgoverview.html (accessed March 7, 2012)
Darlington, S.: A History of Roleplaying (1998), http://ptgptb.org/0001/history1.html (accessed June 8, 2012)
Entertainment Software Association: The 2011 Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Game Industry (2011), http://www.isfe.eu/industry-facts/research/industry-and-gamers (accessed June 8, 2012)
Tychsen, A.: Role Playing Games – Comparative Analysis Across Two Media Platforms. In: IE 2006 Proceedings of the 3rd Australasian Conference on Interactive Entertainment (2006) ISBN: 86905-902-5
Delmas, G., Champagnat, R., Augeraud, M.: From Tabletop RPG to Interactive Storytelling: Definition of a Story Manager for Videogames. In: Iurgel, I.A., Zagalo, N., Petta, P. (eds.) ICIDS 2009. LNCS, vol. 5915, pp. 121–126. Springer, Heidelberg (2009)
Louchart, S., Aylett, R.S.: Solving the Narrative Paradox in VEs – Lessons from RPGs. In: Rist, T., Aylett, R.S., Ballin, D., Rickel, J. (eds.) IVA 2003. LNCS (LNAI), vol. 2792, pp. 244–248. Springer, Heidelberg (2003)
Peinado, F., Gervás, P.: Transferring Game Mastering Laws to Interactive Digital Storytelling. In: Göbel, S., Spierling, U., Hoffmann, A., Iurgel, I., Schneider, O., Dechau, J., Feix, A. (eds.) TIDSE 2004. LNCS, vol. 3105, pp. 48–54. Springer, Heidelberg (2004)
Tychsen, A., Smith, J.H., Hitchens, M., Tosca, S.: Communication in Multi-player Role Playing Games – The Effect of Medium. In: Göbel, S., Malkewitz, R., Iurgel, I. (eds.) TIDSE 2006. LNCS, vol. 4326, pp. 277–288. Springer, Heidelberg (2006)
Aylett, R.: Emergent Narrative, Social Immersion and Storification. Discussion paper elaborating on, paper on emergent narrative. In: Proceedings Narrative and Learning Environments Conference NILE00 Edinburgh, Scotland (2000), hw.academia.edu/RuthAylett/Papers/543109/Emergent_narrative_social_immersion_and_storification_ (accessed June 8, 2012)
Tychsen, A., Hitchens, M., Brolund, T., Kavakli, M.: The Game Master. In: IE 2005: Proceedings of the Second Australasian Conference on Interactive Entertainment. Creativity & Cognition Studios Press (2005)
Axelzon, F., Wrigstad, T.: Doubt. Selfpublished (2007), http://jeepen.org/games/doubt (accessed May 22, 2012)
Aylett, R., Louchart, S.: Towards a Narrative Theory of Virtual Reality. Virtual Reality 7(1), 2–9 (2003), doi:10.1007/s10055-003-0114-96
Temte, B.F.: Project Restless Sleep – An Experimental Framework for Investigating the Change in User Experience of Roleplaying Games in Virtual Environments. Unpublished Project Report, Aalborg University Copenhagen, Department of Architecture, Design and Media Technology, Section of Medialogy (2011)
Boeckman, P.: The Three Way model – Revision of the Threefold Model. Morten Gade, Line Thorup & Mikkel Sander (eds.): As Larp Grows Up. Knudepunkt 2003 (2003) ISBN 87-989377-0-7, http://www.laivforum.dk/kp03_book/classics/three_way_model.pdf (accessed April 23, 2012)
Schoenau-Fog, H.: Hooked! – Evaluating Engagement as Continuation Desire in Interactive Narratives. In: Si, M., Thue, D., André, E., Lester, J.C., Tanenbaum, J., Zammitto, V. (eds.) ICIDS 2011. LNCS, vol. 7069, pp. 219–230. Springer, Heidelberg (2011)
Epic Games: Unreal Development Kit, http://udk.com
Flagship Industries: Ventrilo, http://ventrilo.com
Roth, C., Vorderer, P., Klimmt, C.: The Motivational Appeal of Interactive Storytelling: Towards a Dimensional Model of the User Experience. In: Iurgel, I.A., Zagalo, N., Petta, P. (eds.) ICIDS 2009. LNCS, vol. 5915, pp. 38–43. Springer, Heidelberg (2009)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Temte, B.F., Schoenau-Fog, H. (2012). Coffee Tables and Cryo Chambers: A Comparison of User Experience and Diegetic Time between Traditional and Virtual Environment-Based Roleplaying Game Scenarios. In: Oyarzun, D., Peinado, F., Young, R.M., Elizalde, A., Méndez, G. (eds) Interactive Storytelling. ICIDS 2012. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 7648. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-34851-8_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-34851-8_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-34850-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-34851-8
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)