Automated emotional immersion in interactive storytelling

This paper presents ongoing research in the context of the project Art-E-Fact. Though the prospect of assigning an active role to the user as the main character in an interactive story is thrilling, this has side-effects that, apart from technical constraints, might actually decrease the emotional immersion, rather than fostering suspense and joy, if compared to traditional narrative. I will expose the problem and argue that it can be overcome if the user is assigned the role of a friend of the main character, and will examine some implications of this move.