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Interactive Storytelling in a Mixed Reality Environment:
The Effects of Interactivity on User Experiences
Marija Nakevska, Anika van der Sanden, Mathias Funk, Jun Hu,
and Matthias Rauterberg
Department of Industrial Design Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513,
5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
{m.nakevska,m.funk,j.hu,g.w.m.rauterberg}@tue.nl,
m.j.v.d.sanden@student.tue.nl
Abstract.
Interactive storytelling in a mixed reality environment merges digital
and physical information and features. It usually uses an augmentation of the
real-world and physically-based interaction to create an immersive experience
that corresponds to the dramatic storyline of the interactive narrative influenced
by the actions of the user. Immersiveness is a crucial aspect of such an
installation, and can be influenced by multiple factors such as video, sounds,
interaction and, finally, the density of all combined stimuli. We used one of the
stages from our interactive ALICE installation to investigate immersiveness and
its contributing factors in a between-group design with a special focus on the
effects of interactivity, and the feedback and feedforward stimuli of the
environment on the users' experiences. The study was carried out with 41
participants and the results showed that immersiveness not necessarily depends
on the modality of stimuli, but instead on their time-density.
Keywords:
interactive storytelling, mixed reality, immersiveness.
1
Introduction
Interactive storytelling in a mixed reality environment merges digital and physical
information and features. It usually uses an augmentation of the real-world and
physically-based interaction. The dramatic storyline of the interactive narrative is
influenced by the actions of the user. The participants are engaged in an interaction
taking place in a real physical environment that does not involve direct use of a
computer and interaction devices.
Dow [6] addresses three experiential pleasures of immersive and interactive
stories: presence, agency and dramatic involvement. The features of the medium that
can be manipulated by the design are: perceptually immersive interfaces, interactivity,
and narrative structures. The terms immersion and presence often are used together,
immersion describes a set of physical properties of the media technology that may
give rise to presence [9]. Presence in a storytelling environment is defined as the
feeling of being in a story world, while dramatic involvement is the feeling of being
caught up in the plot and with characters of a story [6].
