Interactive Spatial Storytelling for Location-Based Games: A Case Study

In this paper we discuss the distinctive role of interactive stories in the design of location-based games. Interactive spatial storytelling becomes a powerful tool for creating experiences of mixed reality where the story is related to specific facts that occurred in the same location in which the player is physically present. Moreover, player’s immersion in mixed reality is increased when she follows or enacts as a real character of a historically documented story, infused with imaginative elements in accordance to the objectives of the game. Following this line of thought, we introduce the location-based mobile game “Inside Old Town of Athens”, and its accompanying website, in which we creatively combine elements and principles of interactive storytelling with the distinctive attributes of location-based games that generate site-specific experiences. We also, discuss our design choices that concern the integration of the story scenario and game structure with the route in the area of Plaka, in Athens, as well as the graphic and interaction design of the mobile application that stimulate and enable the player to act in both digital and physical space.