March 3 2023

My research project will be the creation of a mixed-media narrative game using both digital and analog assets. It will be accompanied by a research essay, documenting how the narrative was deliberately shaped by the media chosen, and how this choice of media affects the immersion the player feels in relation to the reality of the fictional narrative and it’s characters.

April 8 2025

How do players internalize and take on fictionalized identities with emotional investment in fictionalized game worlds?  What are the affordances of different narrative modalities and methods of interactivity on the ability to fully immerse oneself in a constructed world?

July 25 2025

Could a non-linear, fragmented narrative provide more conceptual space for players to insert themselves into a fictional gameworld, and become truly invested in their fictional self? What is the potential to use the acquisition and loss of agency for narrative effect?

How might the inclusion of physical, tactile artifacts augment fictional worldbuilding in a digital game, and support the experience that a player is existing in both worlds at once? Furthermore, how does prompting the player to create their own artifacts to interface with this world push that immersion further?

July 27 2025

What affordances may emerge from the fragmented narrative provided by database simulation games? How can these affordances be used to blur the borders of the fictional game world and the players identity within the fiction?

How might the inclusion of physical, tactile artifacts and non-digital gameplay mechanics augment fictional worldbuilding in a digital game, and support the experience that a player is existing in both worlds at once? Furthermore, how does prompting the player to create their own artifacts to interface with this world push that immersion further?

Make a timeline of how your thesis ideas changed. Diagram