Game Design Theory and Practice
Game Design Theory and Practice
Character Development and Storytelling for Games (Game Development Series)
Character Development and Storytelling for Games (Game Development Series)
A grounded investigation of game immersion
CHI '04 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Presence and engagement in an interactive drama
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Evaluating a conversation-centered interactive drama
Proceedings of the 6th international joint conference on Autonomous agents and multiagent systems
Getting a word in: adding artificial pauses to natural language interaction
Proceedings of the International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games
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Dialogue systems are central to role-playing games, adventure games, interactive fictions, and some forms of interactive drama and cinema---but we have little empirical evidence about how, or even whether, the design of dialogue system interfaces shapes gameplay experience. In this paper we present the results of a study directly comparing three different dialogue system interfaces implemented over the complete course of a dramatic, story-focused game. We find that, holding the rest of the game steady, changing the dialogue interface produces significant changes in gameplay experience. Further, these changes shape perceptions of the system well beyond the interface and its operation. The changes are also sometimes resonant with, and sometimes at odds with, conventional wisdom about these interface options in the game design and writing communities. Our study compared three interfaces: a sentence selection interface (which appears to maximize story involvement), an abstract response menu interface (which maximized reasoning about the underlying game structures), and a natural language understanding interface (which maximized a sense of presence and engagement with the overall experience). Our full results provide valuable future guidance for those seeking a dialogue interface that is resonant with their gameplay experience goals.