Interactive Narratives: The Future of Storytelling

Abstract

[Abstract] The way we tell stories is in a constant flux of change and evolution, which results in the innovation of narrative and the roles of reader and author. Lately, this innovation has led towards the ascendance of interactive narratives. Thus, this end-of-degree project aims to examine interactive narratives and their relevance in our present and future. Furthermore, my goal is to provide new information and academic research on the topic, to facilitate discussion and bring attention to a narrative form often overlooked for its recentness. Through the analysis of different media with a core interactive element, such as videogames, virtual reality, fanfiction or boardgames, I will illustrate the journey from the first examples of interactive storytelling to the latest. This study will show how authors and readers have adapted to the appeal of interactive stories, and how these stories interconnected the roles of the two. Interactivity, agency, and immersion theories will help illustrate this new reality.