Character Interaction Gameplay: An Analysis of Form and Function
By: Brent Ellison
Supervisor: Myque Ouellette
Masters of Interactive Technology degree conferred July 12th, 2008
Thesis / Project completed: July 7th, 2008

Ever since Joseph Weizenbaum created the artificial therapist, ELIZA, in 1966, designers of interactive entertainment have attempted to incorporate meaningful interactions with virtual characters to aid immersion. However, while a great deal has been written about the process of creating game characters and writing for games, very little literature has addressed the mechanics of character interaction in games. This study analyzes existing methods and tests the differences between two specific types of interactive dialog flow in order to determine how best they can be used.

To explore the value of different character interaction systems, participants played one of two versions of an interactive dialog program. In one version, players experience a linear dialog that branches and loops back on itself. In the other, players converse at their leisure through menus and sub-menus before making a final decision. Comparing the results of user experiences across both versions showed that while players of the linear version were more likely to be interested in future conversations with the NPC, the differences in their overall engagement with the character appeared to be minimal. Conversely, the more interrogative nature of the second version caused the players to be more engaged with the final decision.

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