How Should I Respond to "Good Morning?": Understanding Choice in Narrative-Rich Games

Abstract

Narrative-rich video games provide opportunities for players to make choices at key points in the game, generating malleability within the game world and its characters. In this study, we explore the types of choices that exist in such games, how choices affect player experience, and how players make decisions when presented with choice. We first conduct interviews with game developers and perform a video observation analysis of existing choices to develop an initial classification system. We then perform a series of semi-structured interviews with video game players to understand how different choices impact player experience. Our findings reveal that choices influence player experience at several levels of meta-gameplay, having impacts on the game itself, the player-game relationship, and the player outside the game. Furthermore, we identify several key factors that affect player decision-making when faced with choice. Finally, we discuss the potential of choice in developing impactful virtual experiences.