Snake Story: Exploring Game Mechanics for Mixed-Initiative Co-creative Storytelling Games

Snake Story: Exploring Game Mechanics for Mixed-Initiative Co-creative Storytelling Games

Snake Story: Exploring Game Mechanics for Mixed-Initiative Co-creative Storytelling Games

Daijin Yang, Erica Kleinman, Giovanni Maria Troiano, Elina Tochilnikova, Casper Harteveld

Abstract

"Mixed-initiative co-creative storytelling games have existed for some time as a way to merge storytelling with play. However, mod-ern mixed-initiative co-creative storytelling games predominantly prioritize story creation over gameplay mechanics, which might not resonate with all players. As such, there is untapped potential for creating mixed-initiative games with more complex mechanics in which players can engage with both co-creation and gameplay goals. To explore the potential of more prominent gameplay in mixed-initiative co-creative storytelling games, we created Snake Story, a variation of the classic Snake game featuring a human- AI co-writing element. To explore how players interact with the mixed-initiative game, we conducted a qualitative playtest with 11 participants. Analysis of both think-aloud and interview data revealed that players’ strategies and experiences were affected by their perception of Snake Story as either a collaborative tool, a traditional game, or a combination of both. Based on these find-ings, we present design considerations for future development in mixed-initiative co-creative gaming."

Reference

Yang, D., Kleinman, E., Troiano, G. M., Tochilnikova, E., & Harteveld, C. (2024). Snake story: Exploring game mechanics for mixed-initiative co-creative storytelling games [Preprint]. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.07901

Keywords

Storytelling Games, Mixed-initiative Co-creativity, Co-creation