Who Am I that Acts? The Use of Voice in Virtual Reality Interactive Narratives

Abstract

Self-identification is a key factor for the immersion of the VR interactive narrative player. Diegetic non-protagonist narrators, touched-up heterodiegetic narrations with internal focalization, and casting the player in a ‘virtual sidekick’ role are suggested by the literature to support self-identification. This paper analyses the use of second-person voice and level of interactivity in two VR productions. In one, minimal use of the second person to address the player and negligible agency results in limited telepresence in a 360-video VR tour of a concentration camp accompanying a Holocaust survivor. In the second, use of a touched-up heterodiegetic narration with internal focalization heightens immersion levels but self-identification of the player as sidekick suffers as the narrative’s forward drive shifts between narrator, protagonist and antagonist. Future empirical work should explore the impact of second-person voice and interaction on the resultant self-identification and immersion.