Author: Grant Jackson Rebecca

Danganronpa is a Japanese video game series developed by Spike Chunsoft, and the main inspiration for my project. In the 2010 game, the user controls a character from a first person perspective, living a ‘killing school life.’ The premise of the game follows 16 high-school students trapped own a school, and forced to kill each other. It is split into 3 different parts; Daily Life, Deadly Life, and A Class Trail.

In Daily Life, the user can go around and talk to characters of their choosing to learn more about them. Characters talk directly to the camera, with there poses changing to reflect there emotions. Their words are written in text boxes, and the replies of the user character are also written in boxes. The user only has selected points in which they can choose an answer, and they have unlimited attempts to get the ‘right’ answer. The user also has the option to give presents to the other characters, rising there affinity with the user-controlled character. However, this has no impact on how the story of the game progresses. The story progresses around a day system, leading up to the next killing; but in a limited number of slots, the user has free time to interact with the other characters as they see fit. Once a killing has occurred, the game progresses into Deadly Life.

Deadly Life sees the user character undergoing an investigation to solve the murder. The user interacts with the other characters and locations in the same way as in daily life, but they collect pieces of evidence to use in the class trail. Once all the evidence has been collected, the game moves onto the class trail. The Class Trail changes up the gameplay. Although the characters still talk in the same way, the user has no choice in the order of interaction.

The main style I wish to emulate is having the characters talk to the camera with changing poses. This will allow the characters to reflect personalities and mood changes to the player, whilst staying simple and not distracting from the text. Using a text-based format to tell the story will allow the user to read through at there own pace. However, having fully voiced characters could lead to a more immersive experience, as there would be more room to show emotions into the characters.

Although the game offers a limited form of interaction, it has no story impact. In my project, I want the user’s  interaction with the story to be the focus. Even though there will be a clear story, I would like the user’s interactions to have an impact on how events play out. This will make the user feel like they have more of a role in the story, instead of just watching a story unfold around them.

The initial idea for me MED3004 project is to create an interactive story that is interactive in both a digital format, as well as a physical one. By integrating different forms of interactive story telling into one package, my product will create a more immersive experience for the end user.

In order to immerse the audience into the story, it will take place in a first person perspective. This will put the user into the shoes of the character that they are controlling, making the characters decisions feel like there own choices. Although they are interacting through the guise of a character, to the user, they are being spoken to directly, creating a greater connection to the story.

Another tool to enhance the immersion will be to have the player make choices that impact the outcome of the story. Choices made and character interactions will have an impact on how the rest of the story plays out. Although major story points will still happen, how the character interacts with them, and other characters, will change the reactions of those around them. This tool will also lead the user to gain different endings depending on decisions made, meaning that they can experience the story multiple times.

Dialogues explored will also lead to new information about the characters. by having this level of interactivity, elements of the story can be missed. Information given by, or about, a certain character can inform a decision the user makes later on. However, as this is not necessarily experienced by all users, elements will change to reflect on the user’s personal choices.

The main focus will be on the digital aspect of the story, with the physical component acting as an enhancer. Although the project is designed to be used with both pieces, I intend to make it understandable with only the digital aspect. The physical element will reflect an in-story object that the user character has, and thus the user can use it as much or as little as they see fit.  The use of the physical element can act to inform the user’s decision, and give them details that are not in the digital element; giving the user more immersion as the character, and thus more immersion into the story.

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