Ludonarrative

Lesson 18: Ludonarrative

Mechanics and narrative in interaction.

Objective

Examine how interaction mechanics themselves create narrative in data visualization, exploring ludonarrative and environmental storytelling to understand how gameplay principles can convey meaning beyond explicit text.

Outline

This lecture explores the relationship between interaction mechanics and narrative, examining how the way users interact with data can tell stories and create meaning. Drawing from game design principles, we look at ludonarrative harmony and dissonance, mechanics as metaphor, and environmental storytelling through multiple compelling examples.

Core concepts

Understanding the foundational ideas of ludonarrative and environmental storytelling.

• Ludonarrative: from "ludo" (play/game) and "narrative" (story), describing how interactive mechanics and user actions become part of the narrative being told.
• Mechanics as metaphor: the way users interact with data reinforces, complements, or contradicts the intended message.
• Environmental storytelling: conveying narrative through spatial arrangement and design rather than explicit text.
• Ludonarrative harmony: when mechanics and narrative align to create cohesive, powerful experiences.
• Ludonarrative dissonance: when mechanics contradict or undermine the intended narrative.

Mechanics as metaphor

Drawing from Extra Credits' "Mechanics as Metaphor" series, exploring how the rules and interactions of a system convey meaning beyond explicit narrative elements.

• Interaction design is narrative design: the choices users make and how they make them become part of the story.
• Constraints create meaning: what users can and cannot do shapes their understanding.
• Feedback mechanisms matter: how the system responds to user actions reinforces or challenges assumptions.
• Pacing through interaction: the rhythm of user engagement affects emotional impact.

Environmental storytelling in data visualization

How the visual and interactive landscape conveys meaning without explicit text.

• Information arranged in space can tell stories without words.
• Users discover narrative by exploring and interacting with the environment.
• Invites discovery and exploration while respecting user agency.
• Creates more memorable experiences through active engagement.

Examples of ludonarrative in data visualization

Examining concrete examples to understand these concepts in practice.

• Plastics policy visualizations: comparing "A Treaty to End Plastic Pollution" and the "Global Plastics AI Policy Tool" to see how interaction emphasizes urgency, scale, and policy tradeoffs.
• U.S. gun deaths visualization: contrasting Periscopic's emotional "stolen years" approach with RAND Corporation's analytical trend lines to demonstrate how different mechanics support different narratives.
• Parable of the Polygons: Vi Hart and Nicky Case's playable post on segregation where mechanics themselves demonstrate how small individual biases create large systemic effects.

Design implications

Applying these concepts to create more effective interactive data visualizations.

• Alignment: ensure interaction mechanics support rather than contradict your message.
• Purposeful friction: sometimes making things harder to interact with adds meaning.
• Reward exploration: environmental storytelling invites users to discover.
• Show consequences: interactive feedback demonstrates cause and effect.
• Respect agency: let users construct their own understanding within your framework.

Group activity

We compared the ludonarrative experience of https://guns.periscopic.com/ to https://www.rand.org/research/gun-policy/longitudinal-firearm-mortality.html, trying to answer the question of why they feel different.

Take Aways

The mechanics of interaction themselves can tell stories and create meaning in data visualization, with alignment between mechanics and narrative creating more powerful experiences.

• Ludonarrative describes how gameplay mechanics and message work together in interactive experiences.
• Environmental storytelling allows users to discover narrative through spatial arrangement and interaction.
• Consider what story the interaction pattern itself tells beyond the data being presented.
• Friction and constraints can serve as meaningful narrative devices.

Citations

[1] A. Pottinger, R. Geyer, N. Biyani, C. Martinez, N. Nathan, M. Morse, M. de Bruyn, C. Boettiger, E. Baker, K. Koy, and D. McCauley, "Global Plastics AI Policy Tool," University of California, 2024. Available: https://global-plastics-tool.org/

[2] A. Pottinger, R. Geyer, N. Biyani, C. Martinez, N. Nathan, M. Morse, C. Liu, S. Hu, M. de Bruyn, C. Boettiger, E. Baker, and D. McCauley, "Pathways to reduce global plastic waste mismanagement and greenhouse gas emissions by 2050," Science, 2024. doi: 10.1126/science.adr3837

[3] G. Nicoli, "Spiritfarer: la morte felice," Ludica, 2020. Available: https://www.ludicamag.com/spiritfarer-la-morte-felice/

[4] J. Portnow, "Mechanics as Metaphor I," Extra Credits, 2012. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QwcI4iQt2Y

[5] A. Pottinger, R. Geyer, N. Biyani, C. Martinez, N. Nathan, M. Morse, M. de Bruyn, C. Boettiger, E. Baker, K. Koy, ThoughtLab, and D. McCauley, "Plastics Treaty," University of California, 2023. Available: https://plasticstreaty.berkeley.edu/

[6] K. Rees and Periscopic, "U.S. Gun Killings in 2018," Periscopic, 2018. Available: https://guns.periscopic.com/

[7] K. Sumah, L. Floyd, and H. McCracken, "Changes in State Firearm Mortality," Rand Corporation, 2024. Available: https://www.rand.org/research/gun-policy/longitudinal-firearm-mortality.html

[8] V. Hart and N. Case, "Parable of the Polygons," Nicky Case, 2022. Available: https://ncase.me/polygons/

License

This lesson is part of Interactive Data Science and Visualization and is released under a CC-BY-NC 4.0 license.