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development of fictional worlds will be discussed, followed by a discussion of player
experience of emergent play. Finally, an outline of the project with appropriate
analysis of how these features are applicable.
2
Interface
Emergence in games is considered a fundamental game feature where collections of
simple rules gives rise to new variations on behavior or outcomes. [3] In the context
of play within games and other interactive media including playable games [4],
emergence is considered the most appealing of designs. As it allows for such narrative
possibilities as re-playability and player generated creativity with full agency and
immersive qualities.
Given the established problems with narrative and player agency [5] researchers
are identifying common design features that generate emergent play. These can be
considered applicable to both games and play, as the notable differences in how a
narrative coherence is generated, either directed by top down processes, such as a
drama management [6] or a bottom-up driven experience with the latter as the design
goal of most desirability.
Two notable features will be discussed here, firstly the identification of boundaries
that develop narrative coherence including fictional worlds, story worlds or contextual
frames that place limits on emergence. Following this, the player experience of
narrative emergence and possible solutions to maintaining collaborative engagement
through an improvisational play.
2.1
Fictional World Coherence
Researchers of emergent narrative and play for digital experiences identify the
development of the fictional world as basis for developing player or character based
generated narratives. The experience of narrative differs greatly to the perception of
narrative within films. For example, temporal events in games connects the play
time, or discourse of the narrative (the sequence of events) directly with fictional
time, or how the events are told [7]. Game narrative becomes problematic when
presenting fictional time in any achronological order commonly seen in films or
fiction. Narrative is rather a direct consequence of player action and not perceived as
the action evolves. This paradox of narrative comprehension in games has shifted
research into understanding how narrative emergence may develop directly in
fictional worlds.
Games excel at the development of fictional worlds providing player agency and
emergent play [8] with rich story-building features constructed by player activities.
They contain spatial metaphors that develop narrative possibilities suggesting
interfaces may play a prominent role in player developed narratives. Fictional world
metaphors are linked with aspects of the real world that exhibit recognisable, familiar
activities and also places boundaries on context. Defining contextual boundaries [9]
contains the possibility space for emergence and maintains coherence through
