Reflection

Content

Product

Throughout my research, I gained a better understanding of how narrative-driven games are actually structured. While playing and analyzing I started to notice the game presents lots of player representations. However those choices are built in a controlled system which limited lots of changing in the overall code. Which helped me understand how story progression is designed more importantly rather than just the experiences for players.
If I was to proceed even further in my research, I would do a comparative analysis since my research was only on Road 96. I've been eyeing some new story narrative games, though they might not allow as much player choice they still seem influence in my research for example things like Dispatch, Detroit: become Human, or maybe some new game that'll storm the gaming industry. In the end this research was a gateway not just for research but for myself.

My final product reflects how player representation is represented versus how much it actually affects the narrative. The data I collected, especially from my coding matrix, shows that though player agency appears to be a dominant feature and showed lots of player representation. It didn't really have significant changes in the gameplay itself showing that the overall story outcomes are following precognitive scriptures. Throughout the AP research events whether it was the oral defense, final presentation, or the academic paper, I learn preparation is a key thing that everyone should take for granted. As time is linear and not forgiving for those who decide to take it easy. And on top of that I learned it's always fine to make mistakes, whether it be stressing on presentation day or how you didn't say a certain part of speech correctly. In the end of the day, your research is yours, and just like in Road 96, the journey matters just as much as the outcome.

Process

One of the most challenging processes was figuring out a coding matrix that would efficiently analyze my data. And after multiple examinations of studies I came up with creating my own, however this intensity scale was more designed based on the likert scale. But instead of analyzing emotions and responses, this scale would be used as a way to analyze how the game adapts to players decisions 1 being no code present and 5 being large structural changes in gameplay. In this process I learned a lot of things, research often requires you to have a flexible mindset whether it be adapting previous methods or building your own system with constant revisions and refinements.

Overall, this project changed a lot of my views throughout the processes. I went from thinking my research would be a fun enjoyable process since it was analyzing videogames, however I didn't realize the repetition I would undergo. Though I enjoyed my entire project there were days I struggled due to me having to reanalyze my data to see if I agree with my own interpretation of the data. And having to analyze the same videos repeatedly to see if there's differences in scenes, character dialogues, and choices. Overall this experience was a way to let me understand how games are usually tuned for the players and how it's guided for players to feel involved in gameplays. Some days the world feel like the it's ending, other days feel like sunshine and rainbows, but time keeps moving regardless, through this growth, I've learned that progress doesn't come from staying in moments, but from the continuation forward.

Acknowledgements

I want to thank Mrs. Dobos and Mr. McBride without your guideline I'd be lost in this research processes. Their feedback allowed me to refine my ideas, have a lot of practice, and developed a clear understanding on how research is meant to be proposed. Whether it was class instructions, or individual conversations they encouraged me to improve the quality of my work. But I can't give all the spotlight to Mrs. Dobos and Mr. McBride, I appreciate all of my classmates, through this experience I believe we've all trauma bonded, as we all experience the stress days, the senioritis, and the burnouts. Working alongside them made me realize, I'm not the only one doing this, making my experience more manageable and helping me stay motivated throughout it all. THANK YOU EVERYONE!♥️

Abstract

This research examines How does Road 96 adapt it's narrative pathways in response to player's decisions. By using a qualitative coding matrix that consisted of, Intensity scale, analysis of recorded gameplay, and a coding of 6 key codes. This method allowed for consistent comparison between different players and impacts in the games structure and experience.
The following findings suggested that while Road 96 presence a strong sense of Player Agency, major narrative changes were largely fixed within the structured storyline. However, there are smaller coding's that particularly appear that show significant impacts for example: Risk Alterations and Narrative Divergence these codes show more noticeable variations based on player's decisions. Overall, the gameplay prioritizes narrative consistency while still offering meaningful variations in scene-to-scenes. This study shows multiple distinctions between the perceived agency and actual structural changes in the interactive system.

Research Paper

Presentation

Next Steps

Although this post is my closure of my research journey, It is only the first volume of my story. I'm currently looking forward to CU boulder, where I'll be pursuing Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Creative Technology & Design or Computer science.

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