Aporia – Exploring Continuation Desire in a Game Focused on Environmental Storytelling

Abstract

This paper is a reflective description of the development and the evaluation of the experimental game ‘Aporia’. The project demonstrates an exploration of interactive environmental storytelling and an evaluation of engagement as measured by continuation desire in a non-violent first-person computer game. The test method involves the interruption of the player during gameplay at specific points and assessing their desire to continue. The objective of the interactive experience in the game is to convey a pre-written story through environmental storytelling by the use of pictorial cues in an immersive, atmospheric and aesthetic environment. The findings suggest that Aporia appears as a non-linear emergent narrative experience with a high level of engagement facilitating a desire to continue playing the game.