Digital game playing as storyboard interpretation

Abstract

Storyboards are used as specifications of anticipated media experience. For the sake of performance or production of conventional media such as theater and film, storyboards are interpreted by actors who behave accordingly. Particular parts of the specification are technically implemented, for instance, by lighting technicians and cinematographers. Storyboards intended to anticipate technology enhanced experiences like in e-learning or game playing are interpreted by system developers aiming at implementations of systems allowing for the focused experiences. The implementation of storyboards is an ambiguous and error-prone process. If storyboards are directed graphs completely specifying the intended system behavior, one may drop the process of storyboard implementation and, instead, develop the game to become an interpreter running on the digital storyboard at playtime.