We are pleased to announce 3 workshops at this year’s ICIDS. All workshops are designed for interaction, discussion and reflection. Thus, they are workshops in the sense of the word.
All workshops are held on Sunday, November 12, 2023 at the Kobe Conference Centre.
All workshops are half-day, thus start at 09:00 and finish around 13:00.
The workshops are free for those who have already registered for the conference. For those who are only interested in one of the workshops, please visit the Registration page.
| WS 1 | Narrative Perspectives and Embodiment in VR |
| Organiser: | Mirjam Vosmeer, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, NL |
| Type: | Onsite |
| Number of participants: | 24 |
| Registration: | Please send an email to m.s.vosmeer@hva.nl |
Abstract
Embodiment and viewer perspective have long been a matter of interest in Virtual Reality (VR) research. However, theory on the narrative effect of embodiment and perspective in VR is still scarce, as VR storytelling is still a relatively novel field of interest. Additionally, the impact of interaction on storytelling in VR is also a largely unexplored territory.
In the first part of workshop we will take their exploration into perspective and embodiment in VR as a starting point, looking into the different ways that the concept of embodiment can be pointed out in traditional cinema. Subsequently, we will compare those insights with further affordances of VR, by adding the possibilities of interaction and discussing a range of related research outcomes.
In the second part of the workshop, we will take a classic existing short story (to be announced!). Participants will be invited to form small groups and actively participate by brainstorming on how principles that have been discussed in the first part of the workshop may be applied to a VR adaptation of the story. After working on the assignment, we will come together again to discuss the insights that have been gained.
Outcome
Ideally, this workshop will lead to new insights on the possibilities of embodiment and interactive storytelling for VR, that may be used as a starting point for the development of a course for educators. Participants will also be invited to collaborate on a paper on this topic that may eventually be submitted for ICIDS 2024 or JINR.
| WS 2 | The Power of Perspective: Crafting Narrative Mechanics for Impact |
| Organisers: | Christian Roth, 1HKU University of the Arts Utrecht, NL, Hendrik Engelbrecht, Tilburg University, Department of Communication and Cognition, Renske van Enschot, Tilburg University, Department of Communication and Cognition |
| Type: | Hybrid |
| Number of participants: | 20 (onsite) and online (30) |
| Registration | Please use https://forms.gle/Lyqsqg6Lm77ktijv7 |
Interactive Digital Narratives harness the unique power of player interaction as a catalyst for engaging and emotionally resonant experiences. However, designing interaction for impact is a challenge for practitioners and scholars alike. The goal of the workshop is to explore the power of perspective as a tool to subvert expectations, model unfamiliar events and processes, as well as to create reflection in interactors.
We start the workshop with a presentation on narrative mechanics showcasing existing examples and related theory. Then, participants are asked to form small groups. They are given background sheets which contain a protagonist role with unusual jobs or afflictions. The sheets give enough background information to understand at least part of the characters perspective. Participants will be asked to work on their own rules and mechanics (e.g. feedback loops and progression systems) that enable the interactor to take new perspectives. Paper prototypes and the method of body storming can be used to test and iterate concepts. In the final part of the workshop participants will share their ideas and reflect on the difficulties in designing impactful narrative mechanics. We aim to synthesize lessons learned and point participants to further resources for their own practice.
Outcome
With the workshop, we aim to inspire deeper consideration of narrative mechanics for perspective change as a tool for both practitioners and scholars working on interactive narrative experiences. The idea is to create a community that leverages their differences in combining perspective from an interdisciplinary point of view. The workshop materials will be shared via the workshop website. Results are planned to be collected and published at the Journal of Interactive Narrative Research (JINR).
If participants have any questions for the onsite part, they best address Hendrik (h.engelbrecht@tilburguniversity.edu) and for the online part, they can write to Christian (christian.roth@hku.nl)
| WS 3 | Decolonial Thinking: Time for Repositioning |
| Organiser: | Cláudia Silva, ITI-LARSyS; Instituto Superior Técnico (University of Lisbon), PT |
| Type: | Onsite |
| Number of participants: | 10 |
| Registration: | Please send an email to claudiasilva01@tecnico.ulisboa.pt |
| What is necessary to apply? | Motivation to attend this workshop (200 words maximum) |
Abstract
The decolonial theory has been applied to several areas, ranging from communication), game design and ludonarratives, to AI. To date, however, studies about Interactive Digital Narratives (IDN) understood through the critical lenses of decolonial theory are scant. This workshop departs from the premise that to understand the telling of complex societal issues of the 21st century, we need first to decolonize our thinking and practices of producing knowledge and IDN themselves. As the title of this workshop implies, decolonial thinking requires reflecting about our social roles in the world, and how our positioning affects our thinking. In this sense, learning about positionality is key to unlearn several colonial practices we have inherited.
The workshop has three parts. First, the instructor will introduce the theory, and practical examples to illustrate coloniality in IDN. Second, participants will be invited to reflect on their social identities and craft positionality statements related to research grounded in decolonial epistemology. Third, participants will be divided into groups to analyse coloniality in IDN and present their reflections. The last two parts require reading the references outlined at the end of this description.
Outcome:
The reflections and analysis gathered in this workshop can be turned into a journal publication.
References:
- Bettocchi, E., Klimick, C., & Perani, L. (2020). Can the subaltern game design? an exploratory study about creating a decolonial ludology framework through ludonarratives. Cep, 36036, 330.
- Bhambra, Gurminder K. “Postcolonial and decolonial dialogues.” Postcolonial studies 17.2 (2014): 115-121.
- Holmes, A. G. D. (2020). Researcher Positionality–A Consideration of Its Influence and Place in Qualitative Research–A New Researcher Guide. Shanlax International Journal of Education, 8(4), 1-10.
- Mukherjee, Souvik. “Playing subaltern: Video games and postcolonialism.” Games and Culture 13.5 (2018): 504-520.
- Mohamed, S., Png, M. T., & Isaac, W. (2020). Decolonial AI: Decolonial theory as sociotechnical foresight in artificial intelligence. Philosophy & Technology, 33, 659-684.
- Silva, Cláudia, María Cecilia Reyes, and Hartmut Koenitz. “Towards a Decolonial Framework for IDN.” International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2022.