An Investigation on Aspects of Presence for Interactive Storytelling in Cinematic Virtual Reality

Rosa von Suess; Johannes Winkler; Clemens Baumann; Christoph Poiss

doi:10.60522/o:7218

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Title (eng)

An Investigation on Aspects of Presence for Interactive Storytelling in Cinematic Virtual Reality

Author

Rosa von Suess

St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences

Johannes Winkler

St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences

Clemens Baumann

St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences

Christoph Poiss

St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences

Description (eng)

The research project Immersive Video Interaction (IVI), part of the Immersive Media Lab of the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, examines fictional cinematic VR pertaining to narration models, interaction concepts, and immersion. The evaluation starts out with good practice examples of cinematic VR with narration-based interaction. In the first sample, 74 projects were included in the catalog. The catalog classifies the given projects by categories such as title, year of publication, producing studio, length, platform, provider, origin, narrative interaction concept, technical interaction concept, and technical platform. Additional criteria for inclusion in the study were narrative-based interaction, fictional story, and role of the user. The research question is whether the type of technical interaction method, the different number of interaction points, and the user’s role in the story influence the sense of "presence" in that specific Interactive Fiction in cinematic Virtual Reality. We used a mixed-methods approach to answer our research question. In the first phase of the study structure, three works of IFcVR were selected from the sample that were suitable as subjects of investigation. The interactive story structure and technical interaction methods of these IFcVR were analyzed. To better understand the user’s impact on the story, we visualized the story branches with their interaction points. The interplay between interaction, presence, and digital storytelling was reviewed based on user tests. During user tests, GSR and heart rate were measured to gain insights about involvement at the interaction points and a screen capture from the HMD and video recordings from a respondent camera. After the experience, a detection for GSR peaks was carried out, and the results were discussed with the test persons. In addition to the questionnaires and the collection of biometric data, qualitative, semi-structured guided interviews were conducted as part of the user test. The research focused mainly on the factors of presence: Spatial Presence, Engagement, Naturalness, Interaction, and open questions to encourage discussion. Regarding the biofeedback data, the user tests show that in the three IFcVR, the user’s active role and conscious decision about the story’s progress have an emotional impact on the test users. The evaluation of the user tests through interviews and questionnaires for the presence survey also shows that the users feel present in all films, although the results show significant differences in the different factors of presence. The different amount of interaction points and the role of the user have only a minor impact on presence. This suggests that in the selected IFcVR, neither the role of the users nor the number of interaction points has a significant effect on the presence. The research shows that the technical interaction method is relevant because interaction points with visual cues reduce presence

Keywords (eng)

Cinematic Virtual RealityInteractive FictionNarrative-Base InteractionCreative IndustriesPresence Measurement

Subject (eng)

ÖFOS 2012 -- 5080 -- Media and Communication Sciences

Subject (eng)

ÖFOS 2012 -- 202022 -- Information technology

Subject (eng)

ÖFOS 2012 -- 202002 -- Audiovisual media

Subject (eng)

ÖFOS 2012 -- 6040 -- Arts

Type (eng)

conference object