A Critical Look at the Path Towards Truly Personalized Games

Over the last few decades, games have evolved from a very scripted experience where the player plays a passive role in experiencing the author's unfolding story to a collaborative effort between the player and the author to tell a shared story. Current research in interactive narrative continues to push the envelope to give the player more and more control over the outcome of the story. The ideal outcome is to have a game where each user receives a unique experience based on his or her choices. The author still has some degree of control over the story, but the control is for the most part in the hands of the player. But is this what the players really want? As a interactive narrative researcher, I think it is valuable to reflect on whether or not our noble goals will translate into a product that the players will enjoy.