This study examines culturally sensitive Interactive digital narrative (IDN) design to enhance bodily awareness and emotional well-being among Afghan women facing restrictive cultural norms. Existing Female Health Applications (FHAs) applications are often designed in liberal contexts that assume privacy and digital literacy, which are problematic assumptions where mobile devices are monitored. Our answer to this challenge is the Rah-e-Noor (“Path of Light”) mobile app prototype which incorporates feminist Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) frameworks as well as Interactive Digital Narrative (IDN) theory and design approaches to promote user engagement as well as understanding of complex issues through metaphor-driven interactive storytelling employing stealth design principles. The research through design process included interviews with Afghan women and feedback from two experts. Key findings underscore the importance of symbolic safety and emotional resonance in developing culturally appropriate digital tools.

This paper investigates what we can learn about a game’s design by analyzing retellings applying Eladhari’s framework [4]. Mystics Ablaze, a fighting game, is evaluated in its capacity of instigating retellings using a novel method including qualitative interviews for data collection and deductive thematic analysis. The results of the analysis show that the participants were engaged with the narrative layer of the game, both through retellings and other kinds of interpretations. The novel methodology is promising in its ability to evaluate retellings.

Representing uncertain history through Interactive Digital Narratives offers interactors the opportunity to challenge the grand narrative through engagements with the historical record. A gap in the literature exists in the evaluation of IDNs’ ability to teach interactors how to navigate historical uncertainty, while a demand for diegetic procedural knowledge learning exists. We propose an evaluation framework that helps determine the effectiveness of an IDN to deliver knowledge in the context of historical uncertainty and seek to evaluate not only the acquisition of declarative knowledge but also procedural knowledge learning needed to handle such conflicting perspectives. This evaluation framework is supported by a VR IDN implementation of a prehistoric complex, presenting alternative interpretations based on published research upon which the interactor is invited to answer questions about the historical site. Validation through cultural heritage experts supports the IDN’s ability to empower interactors to question the grand narrative and take an active role in the interpretation of the site.

This paper describes programmatic techniques for acquiring a player's history and choices within a multi-linear Twine-based narrative. It also explores how to store this interaction history for features like auto-save and context-aware controls (e.g., back, forward, home, etc.). The paper further investigates packaging these elements for delivery on modern operating systems, with implications for long-term preservation of these stories.

How can generative AI (GenAI) be integrated in educational practices? This paper describes an approach combining problem-based learning with the creation of Interactive Digital Narratives (IDNs) using GenAI, applied during a training school for which the concrete task was to represent Malta’s complex Neolithic history. After introducing the topic, the concept of IDN, and GenAI tools, the educational journey continued by interweaving contextual information such as site visits with iterative design steps facilitating trainees to create their own IDN projects. This approach was applied during a five-day course, resulting in four IDNs incorporating the specific perspectives of the respective teams. The paper describes the pedagogical approach as well as the different ways the trainee teams found to address the limitations and challenges of current GenAI tools.

This paper describes an approach to resurrect the ASAPS IDN authoring system using generative AI. ASAPS was originally written in Actionscript 2, an obsolete scripting language. Starting with a discussion of the ASAPS authoring tools’ original status, architecture and why it fell into obsolescence, the paper proceeds by detailing the process resurrecting the project focusing on the limitations and capabilities of current GenAI tools. Finally, lessons learned along the way are presented, hoping to inspire future work in digital preservation.

Where do generative AI (GenAI) tools stand in 2025 when it comes to the design of Interactive Digital Narratives (IDNs)? In 2024, we introduced a first effort in benchmarking GenAI tools for IDN design [14]. This paper updates the findings for the current generation of previously evaluated tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot), and also adds several open source entries such as DeepSeek, Llama, Mistral, and Qwen. We introduce two key additions to the GenAI4IDN benchmarking framework: methods to benchmark iterative prompting and the effects of contextualized prompting. Furthermore, we introduce and apply a method for AI-assisted evaluation, facilitating rapid evaluation of large amounts of IDN design artifacts with a level of quality similar to human raters.

Where do generative AI (GenAI) tools like ChatGPT or Claude stand when it comes to the design of Interactive Digital Narratives (IDNs)? Can they be used to create an IDN from scratch? Or complete typical tasks in narrative design? To answer these questions we first develop a benchmarking framework in collaboration with a group of experts before applying it to create and evaluate the output of GenAI tools. We describe the development of the benchmarking framework, discuss results and consider limitations. The results show that while GenAI tools can be a great asset in IDN design, they are not yet able to replace a human narrative designer. The strength of the current generation of GenAI tools lays in delivering output that can be used for ideation and training, and in some occasions also for production in the hands of an experienced designer. Finally, we consider ethical aspects and future developments. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

Students can think and they are creative, yet education in interactive narratives and related field does not always support creativity and critical thinking skills. As a result, students struggle to fully grasp the learning material and lack the ability to critically assess existing knowledge. In particular, aspects of theory, method and industry practices are often taught only as a passive exercise of receiving static knowledge and not as a dynamically growing body of knowledge. We see this status quo as a missed opportunity, especially when it comes to integrating students into research projects, where critical assessment and further developments of theoretical frameworks and research methods is a necessity. In this paper, we present an analysis of the current situation and an initial framework to improve education, with the aim to empower students’ critical thinking skills and creative abilities when it comes to theory, method, and design practices. 

Interactive digital narratives (IDNs) create alternate realities using both fictional and non-fiction material. The interactive aspect of IDN turns audiences into participants and enables the exploration of alternative perspectives and actions within a single artifact. Such multifaceted representations make IDN a vehicle for representing complex issues, a crucial capability at a time when the limits of traditional narrative media to adequately represent complex issues such as climate change become apparent. Conversely, properly evaluated, generalized knowledge about how exactly IDNs engage and influence us and what this means for the design of such works is still scant and thus this topic needs scholarly attention. In this overview paper, we discuss the potential of IDN, but also the difficulties of realizing this potential in terms of design and of verifying the effectiveness through empirical research methods. The potential of IDN as dynamic, participatory, and encyclopedic artifacts can be clearly expressed, yet the same cannot be said when it comes to the design and especially the evaluation of intended prosocial effects, the topic this paper is focused on. We start by identifying the problem of IDN design resulting from a combination of the lack of generalized knowledge and formal professional training. Then, we discuss the challenge of measuring the effectiveness of IDN design for prosocial effects and report on several case studies. In this context, we discuss methodological issues and advocate for best practices. Finally, we consider future steps in addressing the continuing challenge of evaluating IDNs.