The Role of Interaction Design in Narrative-Driven Games with a

First-Person Perspective in Fostering User Emotional Connection

Yingxi Cao

School of Information Science and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China

Keywords: Game Interaction Design, Game Emotional Experience, Emotional Resonance, Story-Based Games.

Abstract: With the development of the gaming industry, video games have increasingly demonstrated emotional and

social functions, in addition to providing entertainment experiences for players. This shift has gradually

moved the focus from product-oriented design to a user-oriented approach centered on player emotional

experience. This study investigates the impact of interactive features in narrative-driven games on emotional

experiences. A questionnaire based on a Likert scale was used to survey and analyze players’ perceptions and

thoughts on existing game interaction features. The study found that players generally prefer interactive

features that offer autonomy in making choices and decisions, especially dialogue choices, branching

storylines, and moral choices. These features significantly enhance their sense of agency and emotional

experience within the game's narrative. Additionally, players hope that future games will provide more

authentic and nuanced choices, reduce the occurrence of pseudo-choices, and more finely reflect the impact

of player decisions on the direction of the story. However, complex interactive features, if poorly designed,

may cause players to lose interest in the main storyline. This suggests that game designers need to strike a

balance between enhancing player immersion and maintaining narrative clarity.

1 INTRODUCTION

Video games often provide players with a wide range

of emotional experiences. Tom Cole's study suggests

that, nowadays, players prefer to seek eudaimonic

experiences in addition to hedonistic experiences of

pleasure and hedonism when playing video games

(Tom&Marco, 2022). This conclusion suggests that

more and more players consider video games a means

of personal growth and meaningful engagement

rather than mere entertainment. For example, in the

game Journey, players can feel a sense of loneliness,

hope, and belonging as well as contemplate the

meaning of life by exploring the desert and

interacting with others. This study also concluded that

eudaimonic experience is a kind of game experience

that can bring deep emotional and cognitive

experiences, which can help players better understand

themselves, others, and the world, and promote self-

development. These experiences often challenge

players to confront difficult questions about

mortality, ethics, and human nature, leading to

personal growth and emotional maturity. Besides, by

analyzing the emotional experience in the interaction

https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0818-7000

design of the popular game League of Legends,

Zhang Yanlin and Zhang Tingxiang investigated the

impact of emotional factors on the interactive design

of internet games and proposed emotional interaction

design strategies tailored for online games

(Zhang&Zhang, 2016).

For the past few years, there has been an

increasing amount of discussion and research on

‘Game Emotional Experience’ and ‘Emotional

Interaction Design’, more and more people have

started to pay attention to the eudaimonic emotional

experience that games bring to players. This growing

academic interest reflects the gaming industry's

evolution toward more sophisticated emotional

storytelling and player engagement strategies.

However, more of these studies are based on specific

themes and types of video games. For example, when

designing a musical game, let players get more

diverse emotional experiences of the game by

changing the song's attributes (e.g., tempo, length),

designing different game modes and difficulties, or

adding multiplayer battle sessions, etc. Such as other

battle format RPG games can also use these ways to

enhance the player's emotional experience. For

154

Cao, Y.

The Role of Interaction Design in Narrative-Driven Games with a First-Person Perspective in Fostering User Emotional Connection.

DOI: 10.5220/0013680300004670

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Data Science and Engineering (ICDSE 2025), pages 154-160

ISBN: 978-989-758-765-8

narrative-driven games, the absence of combat

mechanics and diverse game modes raises critical

questions regarding the enhancement of player

emotional engagement. Investigating whether the

design of interactive features tailored to the narrative

or more creatively designed can strengthen user

emotional connections is of significant value for

future design and development of narrative games.

Drawing upon questionnaire data from ‘The

Impact of Interactive Functions in Story Games on

Emotional Experience’, this research investigates

public preferences and emotional responses to current

game interactive features. Players were prompted to

share insights and recommendations regarding the

design of prevalent game interactive functions,

informed by their gameplay experiences. This paper

analyzes the influence of interactive function design

on augmenting user emotional engagement and

identifies avenues for future refinement.

2 GAME INTERACTION DESIGN

AND EMOTIONAL

EXPERIENCE

2.1 Game Interaction Design

2.1.1 Concept

Game interaction design typically refers to the

process in game development where designers plan

and construct fundamental elements such as game

mechanics, interface styles, and operational methods

to facilitate effective interaction between players and

the game system. This approach aims to enhance

game playability while delivering rich emotional

experiences for players.

Compared to other interaction design fields, game

interaction design necessitates consideration of

factors such as game type, gameplay mechanics, and

target player demographics. For instance, in First-

Person Shooter (FPS) games, inventory management

systems provide players with backpack functionality,

while timers are used when switching weapons or

skills to calculate time, thereby enhancing the realism

of the combat environment and immersing players in

the intense and thrilling atmosphere. In narrative-

driven games, the storytelling aspect means that

players must fully embody the game characters and

scenarios to fulfill the narrative function better and

convey the values the game intends to express.

Furthermore, in games, interaction design places

greater emphasis on how to enrich the effects and

changes brought about by each action, including

alterations in environmental sound effects and scene

lighting, the advancement of game plots and progress,

and the achievement of specific milestones.

2.1.2 Key Elements

The core elements of game interaction design

primarily encompass interface design, interaction

logic, and feedback systems. The interface serves as

the primary medium through which players perceive

game rules and states, encompassing the heads-up

display (HUD), menu systems, and informational

prompts. Interface design must ensure a rational and

legible layout, providing essential information and

assistance without compromising the player's

immersion.

Interaction logic encompasses fundamental

interactive mechanisms such as game controls, key

mappings, and input responses. When designing

interaction logic, it is crucial to ensure that the

interactive system is intuitive, easily understood, and

provides immediate responses, enabling players to

accurately interpret the designer's intent and execute

their desired actions.

A multi-channel, multi-layered feedback system

can facilitate the formation of a behavioral perception

loop for the player. For instance, visual dynamic

feedback displays changes in necessary data; auditory

feedback helps players differentiate between various

in-game scenarios or items; and haptic feedback, such

as that provided by VR controllers, simulates the

grasping effects of a real physical environment.

2.1.3 Types

Game interaction design can be broadly categorized

into three types: direct interaction, indirect interaction,

and environmental interaction. Direct interaction

involves players using explicit inputs to manipulate in-

game characters or objects, such as using a keyboard

and mouse to control character movement and

jumping. Indirect interaction requires players to

influence the game world through interface elements

or commands, exemplified by resource management

and unit deployment in strategy games.

Environmental interaction refers to players directly

engaging with the game environment itself, such as

scene exploration and item collection in puzzle games.

2.2 Game Emotional Experience

2.2.1 Concept

Game affective experience generally refers to the

various emotional responses and psychological

The Role of Interaction Design in Narrative-Driven Games with a First-Person Perspective in Fostering User Emotional Connection

155

feelings that players generate during the game, such

as excitement, curiosity, fear, tension, and sadness.

This emotional experience includes not only the

immediate emotional responses during the gameplay

but also the players' long-term emotions towards the

game, the sense of accomplishment gained after

achieving game achievements, and the overall

impression and memory of the game after clearing it.

2.2.2 Components

Donald Norman's "Emotional Design" posits three

levels of emotional experience: visceral, behavioral,

and reflective. Building on this framework, game

emotional experiences can be categorized into three

components: sensory triggers, interactive feedback,

and meaning construction. Sensory triggers extend

beyond the audiovisual impact of the game,

transforming primal responses into emotional

anchors, such as fear, excitement, or pleasurable

physiological memories. Interactive feedback

emphasizes the bidirectional emotional flow

generated during behavioral interactions, where

"action-response" dynamics render the behavior itself

an emotional carrier. Meaning construction involves

deepening emotional game experiences and mapping

them onto life experiences and social understanding

through mechanisms like narrative disruption or

metaphorical settings, elevating the game into a

vessel for philosophical contemplation.

2.2.3 Influencing Factors

The interactive mechanisms within a game directly

influence the player's emotional investment. As Will

Wright, the designer of The Sims, once stated,

‘Games can evoke emotional experiences that you

never feel when watching a movie, like pride or guilt’.

Compared to films or novels, the incorporation of

interactive mechanisms in games allows players to

experience a greater sense of agency, building upon

the emotional responses of the audience. While

simple dialogue choices often guide players through

the narrative as designed by the creators, choices

involving moral judgments and pivotal plot decisions

elicit deeper emotional resonance, prompting players

to contemplate the consequences of their actions and

their impact on the game's outcome, thereby fostering

a sense of responsibility.

The narrative design of a game is a critical

element in shaping the emotional experience of the

player. By constructing the game's world-building,

fragmented narratives, multi-perspective structures,

and the use of metaphorical symbols, players can

establish emotional connections with game characters

throughout the gameplay. For instance, in the game

series The Rusty Lake, the non-linear narrative and

surrealistic symbols compel players to actively piece

together the complete story. In What Remains of

Edith Finch, the multi-character narrative of the

family allows players to explore the death scenes of

different family members, experiencing each

character's sense of helplessness in the face of

fatalism. These designs echo what game scholar Janet

Murray proposed in her classic work, Hamlet on the

Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace:

interactive narratives grant players "agency"—the

ability to influence the narrative's development

through choices and actions, making players not only

recipients of the story but also active interpreters of

the real-world significance behind the game.

The art style and sound design are equally

important sensory mediums for eliciting emotional

responses from players. The use of color, lighting,

and scene details in the visuals can convey specific

emotions under the environment and storyline. For

example, the game Journey uses minimalist desert

landscapes and dynamic lighting to create a sense of

solitude and sublimity; the game Inside uses cool

tones and oppressive scenes to convey a sense of

unease. In terms of sound effects, dynamic

soundtracks can respond to the player's actions in

real-time. For example, in the game Death Stranding,

low-pitched music accompanies the player's lonely

trek, while sudden silence or climactic melodies

suggest crisis or redemption.

Social behavior in multiplayer games also

significantly affects the emotional experience.

Cooperative mechanisms (such as the forced

collaboration in the game It Takes Two) build trust

through a sense of reliance, while competitive

mechanisms (such as team confrontation in Apex)

may stimulate a desire to win or a sense of frustration.

The richness of in-game social tools (emoticons, text)

also determines the efficiency of emotional

transmission: Animal Crossing uses cute actions to

promote relaxed social interaction, while Final

Fantasy 14 forms emotional communities through

virtual gatherings and player-created rituals (such as

weddings and funerals). Research shows that the

virtual interpersonal relationships established by

players in MMO games may produce real emotional

attachments and even affect real-world social

behavior. This "emotional migration" phenomenon is

a unique influence of games.

In addition, players' real-life experiences, cultural

backgrounds, and values will also filter the deep

involvement in the game experience, forming an

"emotional filter" - different players may trigger

completely different emotional responses when

facing the same game content, players from different

ICDSE 2025 - The International Conference on Data Science and Engineering

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cultural backgrounds will have different

interpretations of the same game symbols, and

players' cognitive styles and preferences also affect

their investment in specific types of games.

3 RESEARCH METHODS

To comprehensively analyze the preferences,

emotional experiences, and affective resonance of the

public regarding interactive features in narrative

games, a survey titled "The Impact of Interactive

Features on Emotional Experience in Narrative

Games" was designed and disseminated. Player

feedback data was collected and analyzed to assess

the influence of various interactive features on

players' emotional responses and to identify specific

correlations between game interaction functionalities

and players' emotional experiences.

3.1 Questionnaire Design

The questionnaire for this study is divided into six

sections: basic information, the role of interactive

features in narrative, interactive features and player

emotional experience, interactive features and

immersion, suggestions for improvement, and cases

and preferences. The basic information section

collects the age and play frequency of the respondents

to facilitate cross-analysis of the differential impact

of players' personal experiences and backgrounds on

emotional experience. The questions in the section on

the role of interactive features in narrative use a

matrix scale (5-point rating) to ask respondents to rate

their preference for each interactive feature based on

their gaming experience and then evaluate the impact

of various interactive features on game narrative,

emotional investment, and story development. The

questions in the third and fourth sections use single-

choice and multiple-choice questions to record the

emotional experiences of the respondents during the

game. At the same time, they investigate whether

players have encountered situations where they have

lost interest in the game's theme due to overly

complex and cumbersome interactive features,

considering whether complex interactive design

harms the player's game experience. The last two

sections of the questionnaire collect the players'

suggestions for improvement of interactive features

based on their own gaming experience through open-

ended questions and ask the players to list the games

in which they believe the interactive features are

better combined with the story to provide more

supportive sample data for the study.

3.2 Hypotheses

Based on the current research status and questionnaire

design, the following hypotheses are proposed:

Players' ratings for "dialogue choices,"

"branching narratives," and "moral choices" are

significantly higher than other common interactive

features (such as time management). They are more

inclined towards options that provide players with

autonomy and decision-making power. Furthermore,

they believe that "moral choices" and "environmental

storytelling" have a stronger effect on eliciting

emotional resonance in players than operational

functions (such as QTEs). However, while

"branching narratives" and "multiple character

perspectives" enhance story depth and ending

diversity, overly complex designs or an excessive

number of branching choices may cause some players

to lose interest in the main storyline. In addition,

players perceive the existence of "pseudo-choices"

and "moral dualism" in some current story-driven

games, which deviate significantly from the impact of

similar choices or situations in reality. They

anticipate more realistic and dynamic narrative

feedback mechanisms.

4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Initially, players' preference levels for diverse

interactive features were assessed using a 1-5 Likert

scale (1 representing strong disfavor, 5 representing

strong favor). The mean scores for each interactive

feature are presented as follows in Table 1:

Table 1: players' preference levels for diverse interactive

features

Types of Interactive

Features

Average

Value

Dialogue Choices 4.21

Branching Storylines 3.95

Fast Response Time 4.06

Item Interaction 4

Character Customization 4.12

Exploration and Puzzle-

Solving

4.08

Moral Choices 3.97

Time Management 3.88

Multiple Character

Perspectives

3.92

Dynamic World 4.09

Hidden Plot and Easter

Eggs

4.16

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Social Interaction 4.07

Combat and Strategy 4.2

Environmental Storytelling 4.14

Loading and Saving 3.95

Players exhibit increased engagement with games

that incorporate dialogue choices, hidden plot and

easter eggs, and environmental storytelling elements.

Simultaneously, compared to assumptions, players do

not have a high preference for moral choices, as

shown in the data below in Table 2:

Table 2: players believe that dialogue choices play the

following roles:

Variables Average Value

Prompt players' moral

reflection

4.19

Enhance the authenticity of

character development

3.84

Leads to increased plot

complexity

3.97

Affect players' emotional

resonance

4.09

Data shows that while players believe moral

choices can provoke moral reflection and enhance

character development, they also bring an equal

degree of negative effects, such as increased plot

complexity and reduced emotional resonance.

Additionally, regarding the perceived roles of

dialogue choices and environmental storytelling in

games, the data is as follows in Table 3 and 4:

Table 3: players believe that moral choices play the

following roles:

Variables Average Value

Drive the narrative

forward

3.88

Enhance character

immersion

3.51

Influence the story's

outcome

3.64

Increase replay value 3.74

Table 4: players believe that environmental storytelling

plays the following roles:

Variables

Average

Value

Supplement the main storyline 4.08

Enhance the authenticity of the

game world

3.77

Boost the motivation to explore 3.88

Distract players' attention 3.95

Data shows that players believe dialogue choices

can not only drive the narrative forward but also

significantly increase the game's replay value.

Similarly, environmental storytelling can supplement

the main storyline and enhance players' exploration

motivation. However, players also think that

environmental storytelling can, to some extent,

distract attention.

The “sense of agency” that games provide to

players is closely related to their emotional

experience. The data in Table 5 shows that:

Table 5: Which interactive mechanic most effectively

fosters a sense of narrative agency?

Variables Percentage(%)

Multiple Character

Perspectives

Moral Choices 22

Branching Storylines 21

Dialogue Choices 19

Dynamic World 15

Aggregate 100.000

The use of multiple character perspectives, which

allows players to experience the game's narrative

from a more macroscopic viewpoint, enhances

players' perception that the game's story is being

driven by their actions.

Additionally, moral choices and branching

storylines, which are exploratory interactive features,

also enable players to feel that they are actively

guiding the development of the game's plot. The data

in Table 6 shows that:

Table 6: players' opinions on whether interactive features

affect their interest in the main storyline of a game

question attitude

Percentage

(%)

Have you ever lost interest in

the main storyline due to overly

complex interactive features,

such as too many branching

storylines?

yes 67

no 33

Aggregate 100.000

It is worth considering that players generally

believe that overly complex interactive features can

cause them to lose interest in the main storyline of a

game. This requires game developers to carefully

consider how to design interactive features to achieve

a better emotional experience for players.

In the open-ended questions, this study collected

players' views on the existing issues with interactive

features in current games and their suggestions for

improvement. Through frequency analysis, it was

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found that players believe the logic behind the various

choices and branching storylines in current game

interactions is often unreasonable. They frequently

encounter binary choices that lack substantial impact

and are essentially "pseudo-choices." Players argue

that choices in games should be more nuanced and

layered, with impacts that are more direct and clear

and should be fully reflected in the direction of the

storyline.

Table 7: Which type of narrative-driven interactive design

do you prefer?

Variables Percentage(%)

Limited Freedom: The main

storyline is fixed, but side quests

are explorable.

High Freedom: Player choices can

completely change the story.

Linear Narrative: Interaction is

used solely to enhance immersion.

Aggregate 100.000

In addition to this, Table 7 shows that players'

preference for a narrative structure with a fixed main

storyline but explorable side quests also reflects that

there is a limit to the degree of freedom they are

willing to accept in terms of exploration and

interactive features. Only by designing and

integrating narrative and interactive elements

reasonably can players better and more fully

experience the emotional resonance and deep

reflection that games offer.

The games that players highlighted as examples

of excellence in the survey, such as What Remains of

Edith Finch and Red Dead Redemption, are notable

for their seamless integration of interactive features

and narrative. These examples provide valuable

lessons for future game developers.

5 CONCLUSIONS

This study reveals that the design of interactive

features significantly influences players' emotional

experiences within narrative-driven games.

Specifically, interactive elements such as dialogue

choices, branching narratives, and moral dilemmas

not only enhance player immersion and emotional

investment but also increase a game's replay ability.

Consequently, optimizing these interactive features

can better satisfy players' desires for emotional

engagement and resonance in today's fast-paced

society, thereby improving a game's overall appeal

and sense of immersion. This research addresses a

gap in previous studies by exploring the emotional

impacts of various interactive features in narrative

games, providing insights for future game interaction

design. Furthermore, this study underscores the

critical role of player emotional experience in game

design, offering research support for future game

developers in prioritizing content and features. Future

research and game interaction design should

emphasize the tangible consequences of "player

choice," refine branching narrative logic and enrich

the complexity of moral choices. Simultaneously,

exploring integrations with technologies like VR and

AR could unlock diverse possibilities, fostering richer

and more profound emotional experiences in future

games.

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