Between Game Mechanics and Immersive Storytelling: Design Using an Extended Activity Theory Framework
Author(s)
Marsh, Timothy
Thomas, Ashima
Khoo, Eng Tat
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2021
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This paper outlines the latest work of an on-going long-term sustained research effort to extend and operationalise Leontiev’s original hierarchical activity theory framework to model and support the design, development and analysis of games, virtual environments and virtual reality for purpose. While previous work extended Leontiev’s activity theory to incorporate both task-based and experiential-based activities and actions performed within a sphere of engagement - corresponding to Huizinga’s “play-grounds”, “arenas” and “magic circle”, and mechanism to analyse and assess the success of purpose, the focus of this earlier ...
View more >This paper outlines the latest work of an on-going long-term sustained research effort to extend and operationalise Leontiev’s original hierarchical activity theory framework to model and support the design, development and analysis of games, virtual environments and virtual reality for purpose. While previous work extended Leontiev’s activity theory to incorporate both task-based and experiential-based activities and actions performed within a sphere of engagement - corresponding to Huizinga’s “play-grounds”, “arenas” and “magic circle”, and mechanism to analyse and assess the success of purpose, the focus of this earlier work was largely on narrative, scenario and story-based activities, and didn’t capture or extend well to gameplay mechanics. The framework described herein describes initial work that builds on and extends earlier work to provide a tool, notation, grammar and building blocks that informs both HCI and practice-based approaches to represent gameplay mechanics and narrative, scenario, story-based activities; from game design concepts and ideas, through modelling and analysis, to informing implementation, development and creative practice. The framework is intended to support all delivery platforms and extend to all purposes/sectors (education, health, esports, business, documentary, tourism, social impact, culture, etc.) across the serious games continuum: from games for purpose to experiential environments for purpose. To highlight the versatility of the initial work to extend the activity theory framework, described herein are several examples of serious games, interactive storytelling and immersive VR for purpose developed in research projects, and in the professional immersive storytelling content creation Singapore-based studio Warrior9 VR.
View less >
View more >This paper outlines the latest work of an on-going long-term sustained research effort to extend and operationalise Leontiev’s original hierarchical activity theory framework to model and support the design, development and analysis of games, virtual environments and virtual reality for purpose. While previous work extended Leontiev’s activity theory to incorporate both task-based and experiential-based activities and actions performed within a sphere of engagement - corresponding to Huizinga’s “play-grounds”, “arenas” and “magic circle”, and mechanism to analyse and assess the success of purpose, the focus of this earlier work was largely on narrative, scenario and story-based activities, and didn’t capture or extend well to gameplay mechanics. The framework described herein describes initial work that builds on and extends earlier work to provide a tool, notation, grammar and building blocks that informs both HCI and practice-based approaches to represent gameplay mechanics and narrative, scenario, story-based activities; from game design concepts and ideas, through modelling and analysis, to informing implementation, development and creative practice. The framework is intended to support all delivery platforms and extend to all purposes/sectors (education, health, esports, business, documentary, tourism, social impact, culture, etc.) across the serious games continuum: from games for purpose to experiential environments for purpose. To highlight the versatility of the initial work to extend the activity theory framework, described herein are several examples of serious games, interactive storytelling and immersive VR for purpose developed in research projects, and in the professional immersive storytelling content creation Singapore-based studio Warrior9 VR.
View less >
Conference Title
Joint International Conference on Serious Games (JCSG 2021)
Book Title
Lecture Notes in Computer Science
Volume
12945
Subject
Interactive narrative
Serious games
Virtual and mixed reality
Screen and digital media
Design practice and methods