Establishing Interpretation Design as a Game Design Method

This doctoral consortium paper, presented at DiGRA 2023, makes the case for establishing Interpretation Design as a formal game and narrative design method. Its central argument is that while indie and mainstream games such as Gone Home, Journey, Inside, and Her Story have demonstrated the value of leaving narrative meaning open to player interpretation, designers still lack concrete, practical guidance for creating such experiences. The author positions interpretation design as an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on museum and exhibition practice, interaction design research on ambiguity and multiple meanings, and related concepts such as interpretative agency, interpretative challenge, uncertainty, and curiosity.

The paper reports on the groundwork laid so far, including a literature review and a prior master's thesis involving interviews with triple-A narrative designers. Those interviews found that large productions tend to over-explain their stories, though a gradual shift toward enigmatic storytelling is emerging in titles like Returnal, Elden Ring, and Control. The master's work produced an Interpretation Design Tool, which the doctoral research intends to refine and conceptualize further.

The proposed research pursues the goal along two directions: developing a conceptual account of interpretative player experience and assembling, creating, and iterating a set of design tools and practices. Planned activities include critical analysis of acclaimed mystery and detective games, a player interview study on interpretative challenges, and a further study with design professionals to enhance the tool. Validation of the resulting tools is to occur through observational design studies or the author's own design work. The author seeks feedback, peer support, and connections from the consortium, particularly from fellow game design researchers.