Tensions of Plot in Interactive Digital Storytelling

This paper focuses on plot as a mediator of interactive digital storytelling (IDS). Drawing on a theory of narrative applied to IDS, the paper focuses on the manifestation of plot across three different IDS contexts. After defining plot, plot elements, and plot analysis, I explain the sampling of the three IDS types considered with plot analysis in this inquiry. The plot analyses of 116 IDS entries by youth and young adult participants within and across those IDS types revealed patterns of stability and variation of plot elements. The foundational nature of plot and its sensitivity to context outside as well as within the narrative scene are evident as participants in complex narrative systems used plot elements to communicate and to innovate. Future research can test and extend plot analysis for further application to IDS research and design.