Connecting the dots: Quantifying the narrative experience in interactive media

Abstract

In this paper we analyze narrative in interactive media with a special focus on emergent narrative. We detail the criteria for creation of an online questionnaire for the evaluation of emergent narrative as a subjective experience and present the result of a large scale survey in which it was applied. The survey was conducted during a threeweek- period in May-June 2015, receiving answers from 14,259 people. Each participant answered based on one of the twenty games chosen for the investigation. The twenty games were chosen to meet one of three inclusion criteria’s. Firstly on the usage of descriptive narrative in their communities, which indicates a strong emergent narrative experience, secondly their emergent narrative potential and thirdly for their potential to be used as comparative or baseline measurements. The results strongly indicate that the Emergent Narrative questionnaire is effective for measuring the occurrence of an emergent narrative, when compared to the test-subjects’ self-reported experience.