Physiologically Driven Storytelling: Concept and Software Tool

Abstract: We put forth Physiologically Driven Storytelling, a new approach to interactive storytelling where narratives adaptively unfold based on the reader's physiological state. We first describe a taxonomy framing how physiological signals can be used to drive interactive systems both as input and output. We then propose applications to interactive storytelling and describe the implementation of a software tool to create Physiological Interactive Fiction (PIF). The results of an online study (N=140) provided guidelines towards augmenting the reading experience. PIF was then evaluated in a lab study (N=14) to determine how physiological signals can be used to infer a reader's state. Our results show that breathing, electrodermal activity, and eye tracking can help differentiate positive from negative tones, and monotonous from exciting events. This work demonstrates how PIF can support storytelling in creating engaging content and experience tailored to the reader. Moreover, it opens the space to future physiologically driven systems within broader application areas.