Persuading with story

In researching what makes video games motivating, Stanford University's Persuasive Technology Lab found:

…many popular games include segments of narrative, periods of time where the player doesn't interact; she simply watches and absorbs part of a story.

The group proposed that these "cut scenes" play an important part in the engagement and motivation of video games.

They are currently investigating how computers can weave together sequences of interactivity and narrative to create an experience capable of influencing people's attitudes and behaviours.

While the project continues, they have released a 14-page PDF report called Persuading People via Computer-based Narrative which documents their progress so far.