Where Do We Go From Here? Readers' Responses to Interactive Fiction

Abstract

Interactive fiction has excited huge interest amongst scholars and experimental artists since the pioneering work of Michael Joyce in the 1980s. However, it has not reached out to a wide community of writers and readers, largely because of the twin problems of poor reader engagement with fractured narrative structures, and the heavy cognitive demands of the interfaces used by hyper-writers. This article reports upon an empirical study of readers’ responses to a range of interactive fictions, a study which aimed to uncover in detail the key factors affecting readers’ experience of this narrative form. On the basis of the study’s findings, it is argued that interactive fiction can offer an enjoyable reading experience, if core issues around narrative structure and interface design are addressed by writers. The article suggests guidelines for writers, based on the findings of the empirical study.