20th Century Dramatic Theory Meets VR Storytelling

This paper argues that immersive virtual reality storytelling should draw on twentieth-century dramatic theory rather than on conventional text-based narrative techniques. Its central claim is that the most effective VR narratives treat the player as both actor and observer, distributing meaning across interaction, pattern, and spectacle instead of relying on dialogue or plot exposition. To test this position, the author developed a VR adaptation of Antonin Artaud's 1925 play Jet of Blood, using it as a practical case study for designing narratives that are enacted and sensory-focused.

The theoretical framework draws on several lineages. Henry Jenkins' taxonomy of spatial storytelling is central, particularly his category of enacted narrative, which the paper considers under-researched. The author critiques Jenkins for treating game mechanics too simplistically as narrative carriers, and cites games such as What Remains of Edith Finch and Passage as examples where mechanics contribute directly to story. Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty and Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed provide further models, while Brenda Laurel's application of Aristotle's Poetics to interactive media is reexamined, with the observation that her emphasis on the player as agent overlooks the player's capacity to inhabit a role and hold a perspective.

The paper's findings are presented as a set of design principles observed during development of the Jet of Blood VR project. These include structuring enacted mechanics around ritual, gesture, and movement; reducing reliance on language by distributing narrative among interaction, pattern, and spectacle; and situating the player as an actor who enters a role. Concrete examples include memory objects that convey story through audio, music, and particle effects alone, and a sequence in which the player acts as facilitator between two performers, with dialogue withheld until a specific interaction occurs. The author positions these as preliminary findings that invite further study rather than as validated conclusions, and the methodology is primarily practice-based and descriptive rather than empirical.