Written by Ruby, 2021 Cohort
The Role of User
In the variety of digital media, users often play diverse roles in storytelling. Often they step into the role of the main characters and experience each plot till the end of the story. Sometimes they become the assistant to help the main character fulfill their goals in the story. Occasionally, users play the role of the third person perspective God who has the power to take control of how the story will go.
Point of View
The unique feature of digital storytelling is that it allows the user to have their point of view to see the virtual world. The first-person view creates a more immersive experience by allowing the user to shift their “mind” into a virtual body and see the virtual world as if they were there. You can find a first-person perspective in most of the VR experiences. The third-person view allows the user to see the character from a distance behind the character’s body. This type of POV expands users’ imagination greatly by hiding the facial expression of the character. The second-person perspective is often on the character’s shoulders or a little higher than the head. It is well designed to combine the advantages of both first-person and third-person views.
Character features
For most linear storytelling, there are two archetypes of characters which are protagonist and antagonist. Protagonists are often seen as the “hero” in the story, and the antagonists are the bad guys. The protagonist usually needs to complete a specific mission or undergo a transformation throughout the story. The antagonist plays a role in preventing the protagonist from completing the task successfully. In recent years, we have seen many stories that break the rule of using “saintlike”characters as the protagonist in digital storytelling. The protagonists in these movies or games have shown a certain level of weakness and evilness. Sometimes the protagonist is not even human, therefore they don’t have to follow what is considered to be moral in humankind. As long as their personality holds the audience’s attention, emotional weaknesses like jealousy, low self-esteem, self-doubt, and ambition are acceptable, especially for those characters who will undergo a transformation in the story. Spending time polishing the features of the character can make the story richer and more fascinating.