Alison stratified cooperative storytelling in dissociative identity disorders

Interactive storytelling is a means of creating a collaborative environment in which the viewer can affect information presented within the storyline. Allowing the viewer this control makes for dynamic narratives that blur the line between author and viewer. The author predetermines associations between the viewer's actions and the changes to the information presented. The viewer's experience in an interactive narrative is influenced as much by the means of interaction as by the content they are manipulating. Interaction or the wishes of the viewer can be inferred from the viewer's natural movements; this inference frees the viewer from constantly needing to consider and select options. This removal of the distraction of picking every nuance of change is possible with a system that can interpret the viewer's actions and create meaningful indirect manipulation of the information presented from that interpretation. A wide array of information and possibilities for changing presented information can come from actions as simple as choosing when and where to move. Within such a system, the viewer is conscious of his or her influence on the content and able to engage with the story without worrying about how his actions will directly affect the story's components. In this project, different plot elements are presented based on the viewer's movement within a physical space. We address theoretical considerations regarding the use of interactive storytelling and of physical movement as a form of interaction. We also discuss the implementation of the system that controls the presentation of story elements. The system is meant to be dynamic and expandable to allow for a variety of story components and overarching themes, and to give the most freedom to the author. In the thesis' installation, the story elements center on a fictional representation of the tragic events leading to the development of dissociative identity disorder in a young girl named Alison.